RUN!
by MantyMouse
Summary: Just then Ginny burst through the door: "Dumbledore's been killed." The students of Hogwarts know everything's just changed, but what they don't realise is why. Is it any wonder they don't trust Draco? Only Hermione does, and now must RUN!
1. Room Of Requirement

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any characters, places, spells, names and such like within this story. Believe me if i did...you'd all know my name by now :p

**Blurb: **When Hogwarts is threatened by attack Draco has a change of heart and tries to divulge the Dark Lord's plans to Harry and the others. Not surprisingly, no one is willing to give him a chance. No one, that is, except Hermione Granger. Now she's the only one who believes him and they only have 7 days. 7 days to convince the others, save Hogwarts, save the world...or RUN!

**_Review Please _**

The D.A were just having their mid-session coffee break, lounging on chairs that had handily appeared from thin air. Harry looked around, satisfied. Of course, in year 7 now, he didn't really teach the older ones- they didn't need it. But they all helped together to teach the younger students, out of habit and fun more than real need anymore. Their new Defence teacher was ok, better than Umbridge had been at any rate.

"Right guys, are we almost ready to kick off again?" Harry addressed the group at large, returned with a general mumbling of yes. Just then the door burst open and Ginny dashed in, hair flying, breathing heavily. She shut the door behind her and slammed the bolt across. She turned to face them and Harry saw instantly the horror there. "Gin?"

"Dumbledore's been killed!"

-*-

There was stunned silence for some moments as everyone took it in.

"What?" Ron's voice echoed through the perfectly still air as he, Harry and Hermione drew together.

"Dumbledore was murdered. Just now. I went up to his office to hand him an errand from Professor McGonagall and as soon as I walked in I noticed Faulks had vanished. And then I saw him." Her voice was heavy with tears and fear, "His wand was gone and he was stone dead."

"Did you tell McGonagall yet?" Hermione came to her senses.

"I can't believe it." Harry whispered.

"Did you?" Hermione pressed.

"What? No I didn't tell anyone I came right here." The whole D.A was on its feet, looking petrified.

"What?" Hermione was horrified. Then, when she realised no one else would do it for her, she took charge of the D.A. "Right. Dean, run right to McGonagall and tell her what's happened. Terry to Professor Sprout, Neville to Flitwick, Seamus to Snape, Cho go to Hagrid, Luna Sinistra, Padma get to Trelawny." She waited for a reaction but she had none of the authority of Harry, or even Ron to that matter, "Now! Go!" She yelled, and finally people jerked into action. Now she focused her attention back on the others, Ron was stunned, Ginny crying and Harry was just shaking, his eyes dark with anger,

"It just can't be." He whispered, "I want to know who did this." He growled, glaring round at them, challenging them to deny him to chance to kill with his own wand whoever had destroyed his beloved Headmaster. "Ginny I- I just can't believe- will you please take me to see him?"

"You sure you want to?" She was tentative. Harry nodded darkly.

"I'll come mate." Ron stood close by,

"Me too." Hermione wanted to be there.

"No." Harry snapped out of his reverie for the first time, "I need you to look after the others, here, Hermione." She looked frustrated,

"But-"

"Please!" She couldn't say no. Hermione sighed and threw herself grudgingly into an arm chair while the others set off at a running pace. Hermione let herself drift into a semi-dreaming state, it was the only way she could keep calm, to not think. Dean came puffing through the door and she snapped away, standing up right away, full of restless energy again. Dean merely stood and wheezed for a few moments.

"Well?" She demanded walking right up to Dean and shaking him a little.

"They want us in the main hall." He paused, "Now." Everyone started to move in a complete melee. The students began to surge in a panicky, noisy crowd towards the door, nearly knocking Hermione from her feet. She merely stood, eyes closed, waiting for the drama to pass.

Within seconds the entire room had been leeched of students. Hermione didn't want this to be real. The panic that had arisen, she couldn't really take it in. She glanced around the room and vainly looked for something to tidy away, but she knew the room of requirement would already have sorted it. She walked like a ghost and didn't look back as she shut the door. She watched the door vanish into brick.

_He's dead Hermione. Everything just changed, and there's nothing you can do to stop it. _


	2. Don't Care

**Author's Note: **_I'll explain the characters in detail at a later date (or rather hermione will) but just be aware that some aspects of their personality may have been changed from the original books :) hope you like it.....**review please it makes my day :)**_

As Harry, Ron and Ginny entered the hall Hermione waved them over. They winkled their way through the crowd and managed to squeeze into the already hot and sticky space. Every breath felt damp and clammy. The teachers were assembling but Hermione wasn't watching; she was watching the students. They were splitting down into groups, clinging onto each other, eyeing up the other groups suspiciously, as if it was a murder case here and now and each was a suspect. _Is this how it goes? _She wondered _we all just suspect each other? All I know is, no one in Hogwarts would kill the headmaster- no one in Hogwarts would kill. _Ron gave her a nudge in the ribs.

"Let's take bets on who it is." Hermione gave him a dark look,

"Ronald that is a terrible thing to say!" She hissed back "It's obviously a Death Eater, no one in Hogwarts would ever do that."

"Well that's what I'm saying," Ron leaned in so tear-stained Harry wouldn't hear, "Look around, who's missing?" Hermione gave a brief scan of the hall.

"I don't know." She muttered irritably, "There's like two thousand students at least attend this school, how am I supposed to-?"

"Malfoy." Ron whispered. Hermione did a double take,

"Oh…him?"

"Oh don't give me doe-eyed-innocent-Bambi look, he's a Death Eater."

"Well I suppose…" She shook her head decisively, "He's still a 17 year old, he couldn't kill." Of that much she was certain. Ron shook his head disbelievingly, but although his absence was suspicious, in Hermione's book, that did not make him guilty; she had an absolute faith in the good of people.

"As you are all now aware." McGonagall began, "The Head Master has been murdered, on Hogwarts' premises. This terrible loss we all need to mourn for. But Albus Dumbledore would want our first priority to be for the safety of the students here." Hermione gulped back tears and nodded to herself, _yes, he would._ "All the teachers will henceforth be posted at stations around the grounds on high-alert, while we wait for Ministry back up. All students will be registered by Prefects and then will return to their Common rooms. Everyone will proceed to bed at a suitable time without fuss or panic." McGonagall's voice was sharp and clear; she had thought everything out, as she always did, and she would have the school under control. Hermione felt safe in the hands of her new Head Mistress; she hoped everyone else echoed her feelings. "Lesson will be discontinued until further notice," She carried on, "You will all remain in the bounds of your house floors, Griffindor and Ravenclaw will not leave your towers, for your own safety, Hufflepuff you will not leave the two corridors you occupy and Slytherins you will not leave the Dungeons." A few people smirked and tittered at this, _where they belong, _was the general thought. "These times are hard and dangerous." There was a steely, more serious silence pressing down on them now. "We will be strong and make it through, and get to the bottom of this. Hogwarts will not be broken." There was a spontaneous cheer and the congregation broke up, teachers pushing their way outside towards their positions in the grounds, students towards their common rooms.

Hermione lost Harry, Ron and the others in the mass confusion and just drifted alone towards the staircase, ready for the long ascent upwards. She noticed Malfoy stood at the bottom of the staircase, he'd obviously been listening even if he hadn't been present, and he was alone for once. Hermione shrugged and walked on by. He looked terrible. He made a movement as she got closer, at first she thought she must be imagining it, but she wasn't; Draco was beckoning to her.

"Granger." He hissed. Against her better judgement, she went over to him.

"What?" She demanded.

"I…I…" Hermione sighed while Draco stuttered, she tapped her foot on the ground,

"Spit it out." She was impatient.

"I know the Dark Lord's plans."

"That's it?" She raised her eyebrows, "Of course you do you're a-" She nodded down to his left arm.

"I know." He flinched, "I mean- no I'm not- not any more. At least, I don't think I am." Hermione frowned, watching cool, collected Draco Malfoy fall to pieces.

"What exactly are you trying to say Malfoy?"

"I quit. I want out." He whispered. Hermione was shocked but she'd never admit it,

"Oh and I suppose that's 'cause everyone suspects you. And you think now you _say _you're not a Death Eater, we'll take your word for it and everyone will forget everything and welcome you with open arms." Draco looked at the floor and shook his head. "Then what's the point?"

"It's wrong." He said simply, Hermione refrained from laughing- he'd always known it was wrong, it had never stopped him before. "People actually think I did it?" He looked up in shock, as if he'd only just noticed what Hermione had said. She felt a little guilty,

"I- not really, I don't think. Forget I said it." When he looked no easier she added, "I don't think you did. If that…helps." He shrugged. "Anyway I should…" She couldn't see where this conversation was going or why he'd pulled her over.

"Wait. What I was trying to say was, well, I want to help."

"You…what?"

"I want to help. To tell everyone the Dark Lord's plans, and stop this. Trust me, he has so much planned for Hogwarts and it mustn't happen." Ignoring the 'trust me' plea (she knew she never could) Hermione thought fast.

"Come on!" She began moving away and a bewildered Draco followed. Then she broke into a joyous run.

"Where are we going?" He yelled as he caught up to her pace easily.

"To Harry and the others. They need to know. You need to tell us the plans. Help us." Draco blanched; he clearly didn't want to tell Harry. "Oh come on." Hermione moaned, grabbing his arm and dragging him, forcing him to come with her. She knew Hogwarts had never been this desperate and if his help won them the war then she couldn't care less that he was a Muggle-born-hating-evil-doing-suspicious-creepy-malicious-Death-Eater. "Beeswax." She gabbled as she pushed her way impatiently through the Fat Lady's entrance, Draco following uncertainly in her wake. "Guys, guys, guys!" She dashed over to the gang who were huddled moodily in the corner. "Oh Hermione Granger." She threw her name at the Prefect standing near by. "Guys you need to know this." Draco had blended into a nice bit of wall that he was practically clinging to, terrified in the Griffindor Common Room in case he was about to be cursed into oblivion. The others looked up, despondency written all over their faces, barely caring what Hermione was about to burst with the effort of keeping in. She looked positively bouncing and vivid by comparison, "C'mon guys, this is good news." They didn't care. "Well not exactly good, but it's news, it's something, a step forward." She reached back and dragged Draco from the shadows. At once Harry was on his feet with an almost snarl, both he and Ron had drawn their wands, Hermione had never seen his eyes so dark.

"Get him out." He growled. His shoulders were hunched, every muscle taught, his face carved with new lines she hadn't seen before. "Now!" His yell was like thunder and the whole common room stopped to observe. A few first years skittered away towards the stairs, glancing nervously behind them.

"Listen to me." Hermione insisted. "Malfoy's got news of the Dark Lord's plans."

"I'll bet he has." Ron muttered, standing also.

"No really, he wants to help, he knows what Voldemort is doing and-"

"I don't care!" Harry cried out again, "I don't give a damn about anything he has to say."

"Well I do!" She yelped in desperation. Ron turned on her,

"Oh you do? Well that makes so much sense…" And off went Ron, jumping to another wrong conclusion and Hermione going redder by the moment, "Why you were so reluctant to suspect him earlier when he wasn't even in the emergency gathering, clearly because he's guilty." Harry's face went from dark to livid. But Draco saw the need to rescue himself, and his over enthusiastic supporter.

"I hardly felt welcome." He put in, "I'm not on that side anymore, I've…I've changed."

"Like hell you have, like a leopard's changed its spots you." Ron roared.

"Get out of here Death Eater. Get out of my sight."

"Harry how can you be so blind? He's offering to help!" Hermione hadn't realised she was shouting, she hadn't realised she'd positioned herself right in front of Draco shielding him from any of Harry's possible attacks- maybe not such a wise move.

"I don't care! He'll trick us. He's lying you can't trust him Hermione. He's not worth the risk. And if I find he had anything to do with the killing of Albus Dumbledore," The silence in the room became more profound and Draco took a very definite step backwards. "I'll kill him myself. I'll kill you with my own bloody hands, I swear!" Draco didn't need telling again, he fled.

"Coward!"

"Guilty!" Ron and Harry bellowed simultaneously after Draco's retreating form. Hermione felt deflated, disbelieving and outraged. Harry sat, breathing hard.

"How can you just turn down help? Turn down the possibility that we have an ex-Death Eater willing to help us? The slightest chance of being one step ahead of the Dark Lord, or at least, on a par with him? Is that what Dumbledore would have wanted?"

"Don't." Harry's voice was livid as he looked away from Hermione, "Don't…you…dare. Get out of my sight." He spat. And although she was about to start a feminist rant and tell Harry he had no right whatsoever to order her to do anything, but she knew when he was in this mood, she'd rather not waste her lungs.


	3. It's about who YOU trust

**Author's Note: **_Hope you like it!! Please **review! **This may be quite a short story, but i hope i keep you all interested! ..._

Hermione couldn't sleep but she couldn't get up. She was lying fully clothed on her bed feeling so much weight push down on her. Everyone else was stewing in the common room, she doubted very much whether any of the gang would move for days; they were so defeatist. But Hermione's mind was racing, already way over the death of her Headmaster and focused entirely on what Draco had said. Something in her head told her that he was not lying, an undeniable instinct said that against all odds she could trust him. But could she trust her instinct? Hermione went over to her window. The curtains were still wide open even though it was nearing midnight. The night was the darkest she'd ever seen it, but on the edge of the hovering cloud of doom she could see little flecks of orange where a teacher had their wand alight. She didn't envy them, huddled in the grounds, cold and alone wondering what was going to become of them and the thousand or so students under their care.

"Help me." She pressed her hands and face against the glass and felt hot tears of frustration run down the cold surface, "Help us." She whispered into the useless night. All she could see in her mind was Dumbledore's kind smile. He had no plan, no offer of help, no wisdom- just a helpless, useless, frail smile. Would Dumbledore trust Draco Malfoy when they were so desperate? Dumbledore trusted most people…then her first clear answer all evening came to her. Dumbledore was dead; it wasn't about who he trusted, it was about who _she _trusted.

Hermione grabbed her warm jacket and left the dormitory at a running pace. She careered down the stairs and skidded to a halt. Without even looking at the others she marched across the common room towards the portrait hole.

"Hey!" _Busted. _"Where do you think you're going?" It was a prefect,

"To the bathroom." Hermione lied smoothly, her back turned on him so he couldn't see her blush.

"Ok. But stick to this tower, understand?"

"Yep." She walked away quickly and out of the portrait. Hermione knew there was no point in looking in the Griffindor tower, she'd go right on down to the dungeons and see if she could find him, although if it came to getting into the Slytherin Common Room, she had no plan.

She made it without a hitch down to the ground floor, it made her worry slightly about Hogwarts' supposed security, if she could move around the castle so freely what was stopping others? Hermione opened the door to the dungeons with a loud chill-causing scrape across the tiles. She looked behind her nervously every few steps she ran down and by the time she reached the bottom her heavy breathing was forming clouds in the chilly corridor. She peered in all the rooms along the corridor but they were mostly empty, and a few students she passed gave her strange looks but said nothing, most were preoccupied in their own thoughts- either fear for themselves and their parents, or secret joy that 'their side' was winning. She reached the Slytherin portrait hole and tried the obvious,

"Can I come in please?" The portrait, a fussy looking old man with a crooked nose and dark eyebrows, frowned deeply,

"You should be in your own common room."

"Hmm, I thought not." She spoke to herself more than anyone. "Can you tell me something?"

"Well I, this is very, I mean, it's unusual, very strange indeed, I don't know whether I- I mean it's against…" He blathered on for some minutes while Hermione tapped her foot.

"Ok good you can." She decided in the end. "Could you please tell me whether Malfoy- er- Draco Malfoy is in the common room?" His face crumpled into yet more wrinkles.

"I don't know why you'd want to-?"

"Look could you just tell me!" She snapped, cutting through him.

"Temper, temper, typical Griffindor. As it happens no, he isn't. Now then missy…"

"Thank you!" She called back, already half way down the corridor at a run.

So she wasn't the only one going out of bounds tonight. She stopped in a pool of safe shadow at the side of the entrance hall. _If I were Draco Malfoy where would I be? …Urgh, I have no idea! _She crossed to the other side of the hall and looked down towards the kitchens and the Hufflepuff common room,

"Maybe, do you think?" She asked the puddle of moonlight by her feet. "No, don't be ridiculous.

"Maybe he's right here." Someone's voice hissed through the night. Draco Malfoy's shadow appeared silhouetted in the door way as he came in, Hermione spun round, startled but relieved. "Come on." He said. She went over instantly.

"I'm so sorry, I really thought they'd believe you." She shook her head.

"You do, that's a start." Draco muttered earnestly.

"Anyway come on where?" Hermione broke out of her self-pity.

"We've got to get somewhere I can show you the plan. A vantage point." When Hermione made no movement he spoke more urgently. "You want to know what The Dark Lord's up to or not?"

"Yeah…yes sorry! Take me." She whispered.

Draco moved quickly and skilfully in the dark where clumsy Hermione faltered. Every now and then she grabbed at the back of his robes to steady herself. They kept going up and up, deserted corridors and hollow feeling stairwells. There were no ghosts and even Mrs Norris and Filch weren't out on the scavenge, Hermione could sense the gloom that had spread, you could practically smell the trail that fear had left as it flitted from room to room, no tiny, dark corner escaped its undeniable presence. She shivered; Hogwarts had changed already. They didn't stop until the reach the top of the Astronomy tower. The desert classroom was as it had been left last lesson, charts still littering benches, telescopes pointing every which way. Draco lit a lamp with his wand which, if anything, seemed to create more shadows than light in the room, but it gave them enough illumination to see each other's faces.

"So…" Hermione whispered, listening with dislike to the echo of her own awkward voice. Draco ignored her and moved straight over to the window, surveying the outside critically and then inviting Hermione to do the same. Hermione could still just see the dim lights of wands, she counted 5 on this side and imagined there would be more on the other side.

"The plan." Draco began in hushed tones, "Has seven stages, for seven days. Today was day one, first phase; take out the headmaster. Then after that he'll take out the teachers one by one,"

"Voldemort will?" She interrupted,

"Not personally, he'll have someone do it, different people will sneak into the school and do it."

"They'll never get through the security." Hermione scoffed, Griffindor pride for its school kicking in by instinct.

"What are you talking about?" Draco whispered darkly. "The head master has been killed and it wasn't me, there are people in already." Hermione shivered.

"Can we find them, take them out?"

"I don't know who they are or where they are." He admitted, "And we couldn't by ourselves, we'd need the confidence of the teachers if not Harry and the others. Anyway," He moved on before Hermione could mull over her failure to have the others believe him. "After all the teachers have been taken out he'll make a perimeter round Hogwarts and move in for the kill, quietly, he'll destroy every animal he finds in the grounds and then burn the forest, then he'll block every exit for the students and capture and kill them one by one, until he gets to Potter." Hermione knew arguing with the fate of Harry would get her nowhere, that had been decided by a prophecy a long time ago, she needed to work with the things she could change.

"Which teachers and when?"

"Well Snape will go last, because the Dark Lord has told him he wont go."

"Does Snape know he's being lied to?"

"Oh if he hasn't figured it by occlumency then he'll have done it by common sense, Snape is no idiot, he knows Voldemort has no loyalty to anyone."

"So we can let Snape look after himself, he'll get himself out." Hermione mused,

"Don't rule out the possibility that he's the agent that is doing the killing." She shuddered, feeling more out of her depth by the second.

"So what do we know?" She was clutching desperately at straws.

"He'll get Hagrid and McGonagall first, to cut off ties with the order. Then when he's done with that he'll kill the rest of the Order outside of school." Hermione thought in horror of Tonks and Remus sat at home in front of the fire, Tonks supporting her ever swelling bump. "Next will be the weaker ones, Trelawny, Sinistra, Binns. Then the next day he'll go for Flitwick and Sprout and finally Snape."

"We have to protect them." She said firmly,

"By ourselves?" Draco was doubtful. Hermione was frustrated,

"We have to do something!" She almost yelled. Draco looked around furtively,

"Alright, alright. Keep it down."

"We'll go to…" She paused for thought, weighing up the options in her head, "We'll split." Draco looked more uncertain by the minute, "I'll go to Hagrid and you go to McGonagall. It's the only way!" She insisted, her eyes pleading with him.

"Oh…Ok." He agreed eventually. "Wait!" He grabbed her arm suddenly as she made to go away, "What's that?" Hermione followed the line of his eyes and noticed one of the lights, one inside the forbidden forest, was moving around violently. They watched, horror struck for a moment.

Hermione held her breath. Then without warning, the light went out, vanished.

"What?" Hermione whispered.

"Come on. We have to move." Draco told her urgently, tugging at the edge of her jumper. They tumbled from the room and Hermione began to understand, with horrifying certainty, why the light had gone out.

"Do you remember where it was?" She asked as they pelted down the stairs, heading for the main staircase. Draco flung his arm in front of her to stop her running, nearly knocking her over.

"Shh!" He hissed, as Filch, their school caretaker, passed across the bottom of the stairs. They waited for a good minute after he'd gone, Hermione fidgeting, before they moved. Draco looking left and right, drawing his wand as they ran towards the doors. Hermione did the same, glancing over her shoulder every thirty seconds or so out of pure paranoia. "I remember just about." He finally answer her question as they skittered down the main steps and onto the grass, damp with fresh condensation.

Draco led her down to the edge of the forest.

"I think it was here-ish." His voice even quieter than before, eyes darting round suspiciously. Hermione shook her head definitely, and then realised he couldn't see her in the gloom,

"It was more left." She was sure.

"No it was here." Hermione placed her hands on her hips,

"Draco I'm positive it was more left, I know-"

"Hermione, we don't have the time to argue about this." He strode off into the tree line. Hermione tutted irritably but followed nonetheless, muttering to herself under her breath. They stumbled on for about five minutes until Hermione decided to declare herself correct,

"See I told you it was the other way, there's no one-"

"Ssh!" Draco's voice came urgently from up ahead,

"Will you stop shutting me down every five minutes, you're as bad as-"

"No ssh!" He insisted, "We are in the right place." Draco's voice was cold, unfeeling, it scared Hermione to here it; the tone Harry used when things were going disastrously wrong. Tentatively she stepped forward, cringing as a twig cracked under her clumsy feet.

"Oh god." She whispered. There in front of her, horrifyingly real, was the dead body of Professor Trelawny. "Oh god." She took a hurried, scared step backwards, she though she might be sick, or faint, or both. She clutched at Draco's hand suddenly, biting her nails into skin, just so she could feel something real. He had frozen; still hadn't moved a muscle since he'd called her over. Then he stated the petrifying truth,

"The Dark Lord's switched the order. The plan's changed."


	4. Play To Your Strengths

**Author's Note: **_**Please Review! **Hope you like this chapter...it is moving along, the whole story is only seven days, so the minute by minute description is going to be pretty intense i'm afraid. :) still...xxx_

Hermione and Draco sat on the cold steps right in front of the main doors. _God knows what Harry and the others are doing, probably still feeling useless and mourning Dumbledore, don't they see there isn't time for that? _She was unbelievably frustrated with all of them, but didn't have the time or the energy to go back and try and shake them out of it.

"So what are we going to do?" She asked, her voice dull. Hermione looked at Draco who was staring into the horizon. She didn't even know what time it was, all she knew was that it had been evening time when Dumbledore had been killed and she hadn't slept yet. But she wasn't tired, that much was certain. Draco drew a deep breath, shivering a little as he came out of his reverie.

"He's changed the order." Draco sounded numb, "So I'm feeling pretty useless to be honest." Suddenly Hermione snapped and stood up, all her anger at her friends surging into a pulse of energy.

"God not you too! Why don't people see we don't have time? They've all got to stop feeling useless and start doing something."

"Hey!" Draco looked up at her tense, quivering frame, and gave an indignant frown. "I didn't say I wasn't going to do anything, I was just saying how I felt." He defended himself grumpily. "It's ok you can sit back down, we'll make a plan." Hermione felt a bit stupid but did as she was told, taking a calming breath.

"So now we don't know anything. What should our plan be if we don't know anything?"

"Oh come on!" Draco shook her arm and Hermione was taken aback at the sudden reversal of roles, "We _do _know some things. I know for one that we've got to tell McGonagall. We need to keep her alive as long as possible."

"Now I know that's true." She said with a rueful smile. "Let's go and find her." Her face fell, "She could be anywhere around the grounds."

"Let's get up high and make a quick map." _Finally someone who thinks like I do! Ron and Harry always think that planning and maps and details are a waste of time. _Hermione thought with a certain contentment, marred only slightly by the general despair. They raced upstairs to the third floor, till Hermione was gasping for breath, keeping up with athletic Draco was not an easy feat for someone in trainers that were a little too large for her.

"Ok stop!" She yelled ahead of her. "This will do." He shrugged in reply and made his way over to a slit window in the side of the corridor- no moonlight penetrated the halls tonight, it seemed the darkest the sky had ever been. Panting, Hermione duly handed over a quill and tatty scrap of parchment she had in her pocket (something she always carried around). He began to scribble down the positions of the lights outside that marked teachers then turned back to Hermione.

"So we know Trelawny's light has gone out. So we only have seven teachers to protect."

"Do you think maybe he's switched so he's killing the weak links first, you know, Trelawny then Binns then Sinistra?" Draco considered it.

"Maybe, but if he is they'll have to be collateral damage."

"Collateral damage?!" Hermione's voice went straight from a whisper to shrieking pitch. Draco hushed her.

"This is war Hermione, people are gonna die and there's nothing you can do about it. We need to focus on McGonagall first. Then Hagrid," He added somewhat reluctantly. "So this light is gone," He crossed out the mark in the forbidden forest. "We know I'm the faster runner so I'll take the three round the back of the school and I'll pass right by the one by the entrance gates on my way. We need to warn everyone. You do the ones to either side of Trelawny's and then the one farthest to the left. My bet is the one by the gates will be McGonagall and one of the ones in the forest will be Hagrid." Hermione was slightly stunned by the speed at which Draco's brain worked. The phrase 'finally met my match' crossed her mind for a brief second before they were hurtling down the stairs again at breakneck pace.

With a mental copy of the map in her head Hermione careered down the slippery grass slope. Her feet shot out from underneath her and she tumbled, head over heel, landing hard on her bum at the bottom.

"Ow." She muttered, rubbing her sore bottom and getting up gingerly. She found she was right in line with where Proffessor Trelawny had been. She went left, her wand aloft, looking for a mimicking movement within the forest. Suddenly she heard a growl, an animal nearby. Hermione swung her wand round in an arc, hoping to find it, or at least to scare it off. "Oh Fang, it's you."

"Hagrid?"

"Who's there? Who's tha-at then? Show yourself or I'll-"

"Hagrid it's me, Hermione."

"'Ermione. Harry and Ron with yerr?" She gulped.

"No Hagrid, they erm, about Dumbledore, they're grieving. But I don't have time for that, the Death Eaters are coming to get us, you specifically. To cut off Hogwarts' ties with the order."

"'Ermione, what are yerr talking about? Has McGonagall sent yerr?"

"No Hagrid listen! Who's the next post along from you?"

"Well that was me yerr see, I was coming to tell Trelawny that someone's got Binn's, I heard him yell out but I couldn't get there."

"Well, there's no point in telling Trelawny, she's dead too." Hermione muttered,

"Oh my word. Well we'd er, we'd…"

"Find McGonagall." Hermione nodded decisively and was about to sprint off when a thought came to her. "No wait, Hagrid do you still have your motor bike? The flying one?"

"Well yerr I do, had that there since, oh it'd be I'd say getting on for-"

"Yes well, great. Look, can you fly out of Hogwarts, I mean, can you get past the protection?"

"Course I can, one of the few Dumbledore told how yerr see," He puffed, somewhat proudly.

"Could you go and warn the Order, fly now while the attention's else where, Voldemort's heading for them next."

"'Ermione, how is yerr know all this? Yerr seem so sure."

"I have…a source. A trusted one, don't worry." She knew mentioning Malfoy's name would only bring up the subject of Buckbeak, for about an hour, and she didn't have the time or the breath to waste. Hagrid nodded.

"I'm on it, 'Ermione. You'll tell McGonagall for me?" She nodded and started to run before he could say anything else or begin to question her authority. _Binns and Trelawny gone, Hagrid away, that just leaves Snape, who we can't trust, McGonagall, Sinistra, Flitwick and Sprout. Numbers decreasing, time decreasing, trust minimal- oh joy. _

-*-

Hermione sprinted, as best she could, already exhausted, round to the gates. Passing the other teacher's post on the way and finding it deserted. At the gates there was a small huddle, Draco stood awkwardly on the edge of the group. Hermione hurtled up to him and almost crashed, catching his arm and tugging it,

"Hagrid, ok, gone to warn Order. Motor bike. Binns dead." She managed between huge lung-fuls of air. Draco searched her face and when he was sure she was done with giving information he relayed it to the others,

"Hagrid's gone on his bike to warn the Order. Binns was dead already." McGonagall nodded,

"I already have Firenze on high-alert but there's not much more we can do here I-"

"We should pull back to the castle and defend that, I mean we already have a killer inside Hogwart's walls so-" Hermione began.

"And who," McGonagall's voice rang sharply through her well thought out speech, "may I ask, made you in charge Miss Granger?"

"Quite." Snape's low voice entered with a hiss, "We're taking order's from a student and trusting an advocate of the Death Eater's Minnerva, hardly a wise-"

"Oh!" Hermione's support for Draco rung shrill once more, he cringed. "And you're so much better. You _are _a Death Eater Snape, for all we know you killed-"

"That's quite enough!" McGonagall screeched, "While your insolence, Miss Granger, is totally unacceptable, both of your points stand. You are both, of course, correct. We will retreat to the castle, and while I am unsure of who we can trust I think that the word of Professor Snape resides, a Death Eater's advocate is not a worthy subject of our trust. We shall form our own plans and both of you shall return to your rooms without further ado; these are dangerous times and you will do well not to meddle in things beyond your understanding." Hermione opened her mouth. "That is my final word on the matter Miss Granger." She shut it again.

As the teachers began to walk away Hermione noticed she was still attached to Draco's arm, she let go.

"That can't be it." She whispered, "Just like that, it's over?"

"Nah-ah." He shook his head, "We can't persuade them, we can't persuade Potter and time is working against us. But there's a chance. If we find out who the killer is then we can stop him killing again, and that'd be a start. The more teachers intact the better, I say."

"That's assuming it's just one killer."

"However many, it'd help us to get identities. Come on Granger, you're the smartest- you must know a spell to help?" A voice in Hermione's head, a voice that sounded distinctly like her late headmaster, spoke gently, _play to your strengths Miss Granger. _

"I think I can help." Her face lit up suddenly, "Head back to the scenes, pick up any clues, things on the body, any debris, signs of the attack, the spell used, anything." Draco nodded,

"Where are you headed?"

"If I can get anywhere close to, the dungeons, to get some ingredients. With any luck Professor Snape is busy plan making right now and not keeping too careful an eye on his potions stock."

"Good luck," Draco sounded dubious, but willing. "We'll meet in the first classroom on the ground floor, it's a good vantage point."

"Right." He turned away quickly, "Oh and good luck, to you, too." She muttered, finding she meant it.


	5. Clean

**Author's Note: **_Sorry it's been forever, i'm trying to keep up with like 5 fics :o crazyness!! hope you like it....**please review!! **_

"So judging from what we collected it was a male killer. I still think Snape."

"That's just the one killer." Draco pointed out. By the time he had reached Binns' area, all evidence of the death had gone. He'd collected Trelawny's wand and her outer robe, which had a rip in that looked like it had been from physical contact. Sure enough Hermione had performed a spell and found the hand that ripped it had been male.

"The last spell fired was a defensive one, Protego, so she put up a fight." Hermione refused to dwell on their shortfalls; she had to think forward.

"It's not Snape." Malfoy said quietly, moving over to the window and looking out, "Christ, it's nearly tomorrow. I hadn't realised." He laughed gently. Hermione joined him and looked too, the dawn was great, no colour infecting the sky as yet.

"What do you mean it's not Snape?" Malfoy didn't look at her as he spoke,

"As we were stood there, with the teachers, he was doing Occlumency on me to see if I was the killer, I let him so he knew I was innocent. But that means he doesn't know who the killer is either." Hermione hugged her arms around herself,

"Are we really going to make a difference? Or are we pointlessly fighting the odds here?" Draco looked at her and smiled,

"You're always pointlessly fighting the odds," She looked confused, "I mean, on the good side, you're way outnumbered by the bad side- but it doesn't usually bother you." Hermione joined his smile. It lasted all of three seconds before it faded,

"Draco, are you ready to run some more?" He was alert too, suddenly, his wand out.

"What did you see?"

"A shadow, could be nothing, but it moved down towards the greenhouses, then vanished."

"Let's go." Draco extinguished the fire under their cauldron and the left the room, shutting the door as quietly as they could. They were right by the main doors, a short burst from escape, but if they got caught they were way beyond screwed. "We're clear." Draco whispered, braced to run, but Mione grabbed him by his shoulders and wrestled him back into the dark space by their door. Pressed into the corner together Hermione hardly dared to breathe until Mrs Norris had disappeared well down the Kitchens corridor. "Thanks." Draco muttered, a little shakily, "Didn't see her." They got up awkwardly, disentangling themselves, Hermione dusted off her robes and glanced around once more,

"Don't mention it."

-*-

Draco hesitated at the door of the greenhouse, he peered inside but couldn't see anything in the musky shadows.

"What exactly are we expecting to find?" Hermione whispered to him, turning her head closer to his to make herself heard, where they stood back to back for all round defence.

"I'm expecting to find a Death Eater, but I'm dammed if I know which one." He hissed back. Hermione's wand hand began to tremble and she silently told it off; this was no time to go weak and wimpy.

They moved as slowly as they could bare into the eerie glasshouse. It was cold and kept making odd noises, plants moving, wind rustling or maybe someone hiding from them- they had no idea. Suddenly Mione gripped Draco's arm and yanked him to face the other side of their once-classroom. In the corner was a bulky looking shadow. Silently Draco raised his wand, but the shadow must have seen the movement; so fast it was barely visible, the shadow sprung up and became human-shaped, it yelled a curse that Hermione didn't understand. Hermione was barely aware that she falling, Draco shouted something and tried to grab at her arm, he fumbled and she continued to fall, almost slow motion.

Slow motion until her head made contact with the work bench, a dull thud followed by a rush of sickening pain that jolted through her entire body. Hermione landed painfully on all fours, aware that she was making noises of pain, but not sure exactly what they were. Draco dropped to his knees next to her and took her head in both hands, dragging her face to look at his, so he came painfully to focus,

"You still here Granger?" He muttered. A few seconds of realisation and then she could have kicked herself, or maybe him, they were letting the killer get away.

"Just follow them!" She spluttered, clattering to her feet and retrieving her wand with some difficulty. Draco stood dumbstruck so she took off out the door first, hoping he'd come to his senses sooner than later. The world was a highly coloured blur as she half staggered, half ran down the hill, following on the heels of the cloaked shadow. There was a searing heat at the spot her head had collided with the desk, Hermione raised a wary hand to it and felt the definite sticky sensation that could only be blood.

"Impendio!" She yelled ahead of her, jabbing her wand in a definite movement. A solid, yet invisible wall appeared in front of the Death Eater and sent him flying with a horrible crunch, Hermione skidded to a halt just short of her own blockade. She stood a few feet away from the masked, hooded threat, breathing heavily and a little dizzy. _You know the curse, you've gotta do it- he's killed two people already and he'll kill more- just do it! _She raised a shaky wand and pointed it straight the figure's bewildered body, he'd be getting up any second-

"Avad-"

"Hermione no!" From nowhere Draco hurtled onto the scene and threw himself at her wand arm,

"Are you mad?" She yelled as loud as her head would allow, "We've got to kill him now."

"I've got to." Draco replied evenly, forcing her wand to point downwards and raising his own, "You've never killed before, your soul is too precious." Hermione caught herself blush as his voice grew softer and huskier towards the end of the sentence. "Avada Kedarvra." He spoke quietly and calmly but Hermione flinched as the body on the floor twitched, she shuddered and felt a sinking feeling within her. She'd just helped kill someone in the grey dawn light.

Malfoy's face showed no emotion as he rolled the body over with his toe, he bent down and tugged off the mask,

"Goyle." He whispered, a note of confusion in his voice. Hermione gulped down her own problems and moved closer,

"What's wrong with that?"

"Well Goyle's thick as shit- he wont have come alone." Suddenly that grey dawn seemed all the more threatening. Hermione gulped again, but this time it was something a lot more physical- and acidy tasting.

"Draco, someone's going to see the body." She whispered, "Is there anything useful we can take off him?" Draco poked around inside his jacket and removed only his wand, shaking his head despondently,

"Sorry no." He looked around furtively, "I'll get rid of the body in the woods." Hermione nodded, shaking uncontrollably as she thought of 'dumping the victim'. She'd never thought she'd feel sympathy for a Death Eater- but then that wasn't quite what this was- she was confused. "Look," He glanced up at her, surprised at how affected she looked. "Go back to where we're hiding out and wait for me, and for god's sake get warm." He added. Hermione didn't need telling twice.

-*-

Draco entered the classroom on the ground floor just as morning was fully showing itself; the castle was abnormally quiet for the time of day. He looked around, confused for a minute, thinking Hermione had deserted him. Then his eyes fell on a huddled shape against one of the desks, slowly, sympathy forming, he walked towards Hermione's curled up form and noticed her shaking, whether from her tears or from shock he had no idea. Draco simply sat next to her and allowed her to lean some weight on him,

"We- killed him." She whispered between sniffs and hiccups.

"Yeah," There was silence. Then Draco reached an arm around her and unzipped her damp, freezing jacket. "You'll be warmer without it." He told her, roughly spreading it out over the desk behind them, in a feeble attempt to make it dry.

"A little," She replied quietly. Hermione looked mutinously down at her pale hands, spread before her on her knees, such little hands had done so much. Draco followed her gaze and gave a knowing sigh- he remembered that day so well, the first time he'd witnessed and assisted a kill, it hadn't been fun, but then he hadn't had Hermione's luxury of admitting his feelings, he'd had to _enjoy _it. He shuffled to sit in front of her and took he hands delicately in his own, Hermione looked up, shaken from her grief by this gesture. Draco looked long and hard at her hands and then traced a vein lightly with his thumb,

"I don't see any blood." He whispered intensely, "These hands are clean." Hermione took a deep breath and nodded.

"What about these?" The gently laid a hand atop his. Draco let out a rush of breath and shook his head, gazing somewhere in the distance,

"Nah…never again." He stood suddenly, seemingly aware he'd displayed way too much emotion for one day. "We need supplies." After the whispering, his voice at full volume made Mione jump,

"What do you mean?"

"If we're gonna camp out here. Like maybe a blanket, some dry clothes, and I'd really like to know how the students are getting fed." He added suddenly, a light in his eyes. Hermione looked brighter for the first time,

"I'll second that!"


	6. Room Of Requirement 2

**Author's Note: **_Sorry it's been forever....hope you like it! The heat starts to build...and the pressure is on! x_

Hermione slumped grumpily down the Slytherin corridor, quiet despite her mood, so as not to be caught. Draco was waiting in an alcove for her, he frowned,

"Nothing?"

"A whole bucket of sod-all." She muttered glumly. "I went and had a look round, even got into the common room. No food spare, no Fred and George in sight and I couldn't get near enough my dormitory to get any more clothes."

"What about…erm…" She knew Draco was attempting to skirt a dangerous issue, but she felt numb to it.

"Harry, Ron and the others? Harry's vanished totally, Ginny's sat depressed in a corner not speaking. Ron and the others are just hanging around feeling sorry for themselves, a few of them are still crying." Draco made a scoffing noise and then looked apologetic as he met Hermione's eyes, he opened his mouth to form the words but she shook her head firmly, "Don't apologise, I feel the same, they're all useless at the moment." The pressing thought bugged her again, where was the Harry she knew? What if he really was useless without Dumbledore? What chance did they have?

"Well this will cheer you up." Draco attempted a smile and moved on quickly, "I've got a few changes of clothes, plenty of food," He indicated a cardboard box at his feet, "And a throw and a few cushions, courtesy of the common room." He added. Hermione smiled her first full smile in what felt like a long time. "I'll get you a few of my tshirts and things to wear." He added croakily, clearly embarrassed, but Hermione saw the sense,

"Sure, thank you." She was hugely grateful, even if they did belong to Malfoy. He slipped out of the alcove and back into his common room, muttering the password too quietly for Hermione to catch.

When he returned Hermione hoisted the food box into her arms, and indicated that he could pile things on top, which he did, leaving a fair bundle still in his own arms. They made their way back up towards the classroom, skittering across the entrance hall in trepidation.

"Let's duck in these bathrooms," Draco said, taking Hermione by surprise as he yanked her by the arm into a room she'd never even noticed before. She hadn't even realised there were bathrooms on the ground floor.

"So all the times I needed the loo between classes I didn't have to rush up to stair cases?" She muttered, annoyed. Draco laughed,

"Thought you knew most of the castles secrets." He laughed and Hermione knew that 'you' meant her collective gang. She scoffed,

"Hardly, we know less than we pretend. I thought you didn't know any."

"You underestimate me Granger. Right, I'm going to shower." There was a row six separate shower cubicles at one end and then sinks down either wall in the middle, toilets at the end they now stood. It was the most basic and least ornate Bathroom Hermione had ever seen in Hogwarts; things were just plain white porcelain and the mirrors were regular size, with the floor in plain white tiles- nothing like the prefects' bathroom. Seemingly not bothered by her presence Draco picked up a towel from his bundle and threw her one (which Hermione failed to catch and embarrassedly scooped up from the floor). He walked with purpose to the end shower and drew the heavy hanging across in front of him. Hermione strode to the one at the complete opposite end so there was no chance of him hearing her shower. _Hearing me shower? Now if that isn't paranoid Mione Granger I don't know what is. _

Mione removed her clothes and pushed them under her curtain, as she stood under the shower it automatically turned on, at just the right heat she wanted. Mione sighed as the warm water rushed through her tired feeling hair, she loved Hogwarts when it came to giving you what you wanted. She could hear the echoes of the splashed from Draco's shower, just four cubicles along- then she blushed and stopped thinking. How dare she think about Draco showering? Gross!

Hermione wrapped her towel securely around her body, checking for any gaps, before she pulled back the full length shower curtain and stepped into the bathroom again. Draco was collecting his new set of clothes from the piled of belongings and blushed as he saw her, towel covering only from waist down.

"Here," He held up what looked like a rugby shirt, though she couldn't remember any time there was rugby at Hogwarts. She took it gratefully and picked up her jeans, knowing how awful she'd look wearing a pair of his. There was a moment of awkwardness where neither of them could figure out how they were going to change, until Hermione ducked quickly into a toilet cubicle,

"Thanks, out in a minute." She called from behind the door. The rugby shirt was deep blue with a white colour, Hermione turned it up a little and liked how she looked, although it'd look better with a skirt. She caught herself. She didn't have time to be worrying about fashion now- people were going to die- maybe everyone, unless she stopped this killer.

-*-

Hermione had all but lost track of time, all she knew was that it was day two and day two meant more people dead.

"So are we going to trail and protect the teachers or search for the killer?" She asked, her and Draco sitting opposite each other on desks, playing footsie between plan making and plan discarding- everything needed more man power.

"We can't do both?"

"Not easily. Unless…" The idea suddenly filled her with fear, and she didn't really know why.

"What?"

"Unless we split up. You trailer the teachers and I'll-"

"Should be the other way round, I don't want you taking on a Death Eater solo." Hermione flared up in indignation.

"Erm Hello! Been fighting them professionally a lot longer than you have. Taken them on before and lived to tell the tale. And F.Y.I we may both have to face one, neither job had less risk." Draco looked apologetic,

"Sorry just trying to-"

"Keep my hands clean?" She finished quietly, "Well I came to a decision last night, that if we're going to stop this, then neither of us will get away free of daemons, I'm just going to have to face the blood on my hands." Draco looked at her oddly, a deep expression in place,

"You and me both."

"Ok," Hermione skipped over the awkward moment quickly, "Problem one: How did they get in?"

"Room Of Requirement." Draco looked shifty, "I showed them how to do it, a year or so ago."

"Right," Hermione whispered, wanting to tell him that it wasn't his fault, but knowing it would be a lie, "Well now we know. We could close it down?"

"Yeah but that could be a viable escape route for students." Draco pointed out,

"But if we hold this off then they wont have to escape." They paused, weighing up the options and eventually Draco resigned to her idea.

"Ok we can close it down, you got any spells for that?"

"One pretty crude one, but I think it ought to do. I'll call up the room of requirement, fix it's position to one spot and then destroy the door, that's the best I can do." Still Draco looked a little gob-smacked

"All?" She giggled nervously.

"Yeah, I should be able to take that one solo. While you…"

"I'm going to check on the teachers." He looked outside, "I bet they'll all be back outside by now, I'd better go round and make sure they're all still living." Hermione tried not to laugh at the irony in his voice, it was a life and death matter, but he sounded almost bored. "We'll meet back here at…" He looked around for a clock, but to no avail.

"Keep in touch with this." Hermione became shy as she fished in her pocket and handed him a small, round disk, the size of a coin. "D.A coin." She explained, "I swiped Ron's from the table when I snuck back inside the tower, thought it might come in handy."

"You thought right." Draco smiled, looking down at the thing in his hand, "I know how to work it, I always was amazed you managed to create these."

"Well you know…nothing to it." Hermione muttered with a blushing smile.

"Right, I'm off. I'll 'coin' you when I'm done." He laughed and Hermione caught his infectious humour,

"Sounds like a euphemism for…" She stopped, bright red once more, "You know." He laughed some more and left the room at a fast pace, drawing his wand.

Recovering quickly from her embarrassment, Hermione drew her own wand and grabbed one of the books from the small pile her and Draco had. She hurriedly referenced a few things she was unsure about and then tucked the book under her arm for good measure, wishing beyond wish she had the invisibility cloak.

Hermione moved like a ghost up to the third floor, she caught a glimpse of Filch, with his cat in arms- so at least they were alive. But other than that the corridors echoed with silence. She found a suitable spot on the disused side of the third floor, used more times in her school career than ever before, Harry reckoned, and sat down crossed legged. She thought really hard that she needed the bathroom.

-*-

It didn't work. Clearly she didn't really need the bathroom. Sighing with a sudden wave of tiredness Hermione rubbed her eyes, how long had it been since she'd slept? When she finally let her hands drop from her long yawn a door had appeared. She grinned inwardly- wonderful room of requirements. Just to be sure, always curious, Hermione took the handle and pushed the door inwards, to reveal a tiny yet cosy bedroom. Most of the space was taken up by a larger than even double bed and there were no windows, just low lamps lining every wall. It was perfect and Hermione had to tear herself away it was so tempting; but she had a far more important job to do now, sleep would have to wait till God knows when.

Hermione knew the locking spell by heart, but she flipped open the book anyway, looking left and right every few seconds down the darkened corridor. She took a deep breath and began the complex wand motion.

It nearly ten minutes before the spell was complete, and even then she wasn't entirely sure it would work, Hogwarts magic being as powerful as it was. Hermione looked at her handy work with a smile, wondering whether to tell Draco on the coin right away. There was a rustle down the corridor and Hermione jumped, breaking her trance-like happiness. Someone was coming. She snatched up the book and glanced around for any traces. _Destroy the door. _She felt a moment's twinge of attachment to the peaceful looking room she'd created before she came round. Foot steps could now be heard, more than one set, and she needed to move fast.

"Bombarda Maxima!" She hissed, directing her wand right at the knob. She cringed as her spell hit target and a shattering crashing sound accompanied by scraping and splintering of wood echoed, horrifically magnified, through the stone walls of the corridor. Hermione heard a scream and a raised voice and the footsteps became louder and closer, pounding on the paved floor. She bolted. The smoke that the blast omitted covered her a little as she pelted from the scene as fast as she could, book clenched tightly in her arms.

Hermione screeched round the corner and down the back stairs that took her directly to the ground floor. She could here her footsteps echoing back and forth but couldn't stop or even slow to cover the noise- the stairs were narrow with no escape. Her breathing was heavy but if she could have heard past it Hermione knew her blood would be thumping through the cavities in her ears, blocking anything else, any sense, from even entering her consciousness. A wave of almost relief hit her as the stairs ended and her feet collided with level ground again. She stumbled from the shock. Still there were voices behind her, Hermione's heart was struggling desperately to tear its way out of her chest, she decided to take a shot at being sneaky- Malfoy style- it was her only bet at escape. She ran more carefully across the entrance hall, looking left and right as her feet clattered obviously in the echo-prone room. She reached the doors and heaved with all her might, managed to wiggle one just free of it's position and slip through the tiny gap, scraping her clothes on the wood. Carefully, Mione dragged the door shut behind her and ducked directly left, into the shadows created by the great and noble building. She slipped hurriedly through them, trying to catch her breath and measure which class room she must be under without looking up into a window that looked directly across the entrance hall, or she'd be caught for sure. She took a deep breath and lifted a trembling hand above her head. Hermione felt the wall grow out a little the further her hand rose, and then cut back abruptly; definitely the shape of a window sill. She gripped it for reassurance as she turned in her crouched position and then finally drew herself a little higher, to peer over the sill into what she hoped was their class room. Hermione let out a long slow sigh.

With great difficulty she pulled her-not-very-athletic-self up by the arms and scrabbled onto the stone ledge. She whipped out her wand and skilfully unlocked the window, pushing open the rusty old thing and swinging her legs inside. The book toppled through after her and Mione quickly spun round and wrenched the window shut, working a hurried locking spell. There was a thud on the other side of the room and Hermione didn't dare move- but she wasn't in shadow- if she was caught now then everything was over. Carefully drawing her wand, treacherous thoughts of memory erasing spells on teachers running through her mind she turned around.

"Oh my god!" She jumped out of her skin. It was Draco.

"Sorry," He half smiled,

"Don't sneak up like that, I nearly wiped your memory." His eyes flicked nervously to the door, "I put a charm on the door, pretty basic, but they should forget to look here. I head your racket by the way." Hermione smiled ruefully,

"I panicked, they nearly got me as well." Draco shrugged,

"At least security will be ultra tight, they might actually catch the killed before we do." Then Hermione remembered why he had gone out,

"Teachers?"

"All present and accounted for," Draco sat down with a stretch, ready to elaborate, "Everyone's indoors thankfully, except Snape, but I think he's on the way out to see the Dark Lord, he should be ok-"

"What if he really is the killer?"

"I told you I-"

"He's skilled at occlumency Draco, I can't trust him."

"Dumbledore could." Draco said in an even tone, but Hermione's eyes just pricked with distant tears, it seemed days ago already. She sighed and blinked them back,

"So everyone's in? Sprout, Flitwick, McGonagall, Sinsitr- What?" Draco clapped a hand to his forehead. Hermione was struggling to concentrate she was so eternally tired.

"I didn't see Sinistra, I completely forgot, I-" He stood up and stopped trying to justify.

"Oh god. You haven't seen her at all? Not once?" Slowly, in complete certainty of the horror of what this meant, Draco nodded.


	7. Always Too Late

**Author's Note: **_This chapter runs into the night of day 2 (5days left to save Hogwarts) and a lot happens :) sorry it's long but i promise it's worth the read...**please review!**_

Hermione was struggling for breath as they neared the top of the astronomy tower. The nowhere near out of puff Draco slowed and allowed her a little breather (more like a 'gasper') but she tried to mask her tiredness. Draco placed a finger to his lips indicating for quiet, Hermione rolled her eyes, communicating silently a sarcastic remark about her not having been saying anything- Draco returned a little smile. He beckoned to her as he ducked to one side just before the Professor's door. Hermione, attempting to mimic his fox-like movements, crouched next to him behind a suit of armour, though they might as well have stood in the corridor for all it actually hid them.

"How do we do this?" She asked him. Hermione was becoming painfully aware that, as much teamwork was going on, there was still a built in instinct for her to look to a leader- follow orders, like she would have Harry's.

"I'm not too sure," He confessed. "We find a Death Eater, we'll have to deal. If we find a body, we have to make sure the teachers find it."

"Yeah," She muttered, fiddling with her wand, "I just mean, how are we actually entering. All sneaky-beaky or just blast on in with a spell." Draco smirked,

"I'm edging more towards sneak." He looked furtively at the door, "Although there's only one entrance and exit, so not much we can do about that to be honest." She nodded in agreement, poised ready to move on his word. Draco rose slowly and nodded that she should follow, but Hermione stay crouched, oddly stiff, staring away from him.

"I'm scared." She muttered. Malfoy turned and looked right at her face, he traced the lines of it curiously. Then he bent down and gently turned it so she was looking at him, with the lightest of touches.

"Don't be." He said quietly. There was a long pause. Then he got back up and offered his hand to help her up. Hermione didn't take it, generally because she could get up by herself, and things like that from guys- she usually refused.

They edged closer to the door, Hermione pointed her wand at the handle and silently it turned, she beckoned with the wand and the door swung slowly outwards towards them. The room was in shadow, and ominous sign, and Draco and Hermione kept close together as they stepped softly over the threshold. The only light source was the moonlight from the windows, which lined most of the walls. There was a figure stood at one gazing out, wand in left hand. Draco placed a finger to his lips and raised his wand in their cover of shadow, ready to curse. But Hermione noticed something. She shook her head fervently, and when he didn't see she yanked his hand down. Draco raised his eye brows sternly, clearly annoyed she'd stopped his duty. But she shook her head yet more insistently and Draco reluctantly looked to where she was pointing animatedly. The figure had one hand on a telescope, and presently they bent to check it, then rose once more and continued their vigil. Realising his mistake Draco motioned to Hermione and slowly they backed away.

Hermione shut the door and turned to him, her confused expression mirrored in his face.

"That was Sinistra." He nodded, "So, false alarm?" Draco half shrugged half shook his head,

"Positive it was her?" He checked.

"She's left handed, and she is checking her telescope correctly, that narrows it down to pretty much guaranteeing it to be her." He nodded again. "So why didn't you see her before? Oh never mind, shall we go back?" Draco's eyes suddenly widened and Hermione inwardly groaned. She could have done with an action free moment to grab a second of sleep. "What?" She whispered.

"We're so stupid." Malfoy slapped his forehead. "They know what we're doing, come on!" He snatched Hermione's wrist and nearly catapulted her head over heels down the corridor in his attempt to make her run. Reluctantly she took up a run and strove to keep up with his giant strides.

"Who knows? What's going on? Draco stop!" She grabbed at his tshirt and pulled him to a screeching halt. "Talk to me." She implored his light grey eyes. Draco shook his head and turned,

"I will, I'm sorry, just please run!" Hermione took off after his athletic form and listened to the snatched she could gather of his speech as he bounded ahead. "The Death Eater's inside know someone is onto them. I think they know _I'm _onto them. Because they deliberately lead me to think it was Sinistra." Something sunk in Hermione's chest,

"So they were playing with our time- who have we got killed?" The sentence felt like ice in her throat, suddenly everything was personal, when it became their fault.

"Snape!" Draco yelled back, and Hermione found the strength to run even faster. She knew they couldn't afford to let Snape die, he was too strong and far too valuable.

Finally the entrance hall was in sight. They were reckless as they ran straight across it, neither caring if they were caught right now, Hermione thought Draco likely to blast anyone who got in their way.

"Will he hold his own?" Hermione spluttered as she skidded to a halt behind Draco, who was trying to heave the ancient doors open. She glanced around nervously.

"Depends who it is, how many there are, and it's only a matter of time anyway." His face was grim, yet shut down, unreadable. The door creaked open and they slipped out into the deadly silent sunlight. It was harsh light, not the friendly warm kind, the kind that burnt your eyes and made you feel cold without you ever knowing how it did.

"Split." Hermione whispered, knowing it was the only sensible thing. Draco nodded, already scanning the distance. "I'll go right you go left." Hermione told him, and started running before they could argue about it. Her legs pounded and stumbled on the soft grass as she took the hill at pace. She realised how long she'd been running, and how long it had been since she'd stopped to look at Hogwarts, everything seemed to pass her in a blur lately. She hit the edge of the forest and ducked just a little into the tree line, instantly moving right, scanning all around her every few seconds. "Snape?" She called out, seeing the sense in it. "Professor are you there?" She walked purposefully onwards for nearly fifteen minutes, her hope fading every moment, thinking it would be a miracle if he survived this long. Then just as she was about to stop and turn back, she saw a silhouette stagger by the edge of the forest. It looked to be heading for Hagrid's hut, but it didn't make it. Hermione watched in horror as the shadow buckled and hit the floor. Her body jerked into action way before her brain kicked in and sent her sprinting forwards, towards the spot where the figure had stood. She slowed, in pain, but mostly in shock as she drew near enough to make out features of the figure. It was Snape.

"Professor!" She gasped, throwing herself to her knees and skidding next to him in the mud, discarding her wand and looking desperately at his hopeless injuries. He was going to die; of that much Hermione was sure. He had bruises and cuts all across his face, so all but the penetrating black eye colour was unrecognisable as human, let alone as a distinguished wizard. His hair was torn and matted, dirty, and his clothes had been nearly destroyed, burnt badly and welded to his raw skin in some places. He was a mess and she was fairly sure his legs looked to be broken. But none of this told her of his immanent death; it was all in the eyes. That one still part of him that was Severus Snape was cold and hopeless, terrified too, and it read death plainer than his broken body. Snape's weak eyes widened in surprise to see her,

"Miss Granger." There was still a hint of contempt in his voice, even now. "You shouldn't be-"

"Here. Out of my dormitory, I know. It really doesn't matter." The once professor said nothing but focused on his laboured breathing. "Let's get you to the hospital wing," She whispered, without much enthusiasm.

"No." His voice cracked, "There's no time, I'm long gone. But there's things you need to know…" He tried to sit himself up to tell her, but Hermione gently pushed his shoulder down sadly, and he gave up without further attempt. "I killed McNair, that's who the other killer was." Hermione sucked in her breath sharply, but felt a ray of hope too. "But he pressed the Dark Mark," As he continued the ray was obliterated as rapidly as it had risen, "And others will be on their way. Minnerva and the others- they wont- they wont…can't listen to you two. You aren't enough. You need Potter." His voice seethed with contempt and resignation in equal part. Hermione shook her head sadly,

"Harry's out of the game." She muttered. Snape's eye flashed with fear.

"Don't let him give himself up! Don't let-" His voice faded into rasping once more and Hermione nodded desperately,

"I promise."

"They must pull back from the forest, it's too far gone, they only way to do it is to draw the Death Eater's into Hogwarts and trap them. You understand? Trap them inside this place of hope, a place they fear, He fears it. Then Harry can use Hogwarts' power to defeat him. You must understand-"

"I do!" Hermione assured him, "I'll find a way- we'll find a way." Then she remembered "Do they know Draco is helping fight them off?" She was scared,

"He's a marked man." Was all Snape said and Hermione felt the icy feeling returning to her blood,

"What else?"

"The exits. Seal the exits. Protect the teachers, they are blind, it's who they are- they were born blind. Not like us." Hermione daren't ask who the ambiguous 'us' was. "You're our last hope. Be ready." He whispered. Every moment she grew more fearful as she knelt in broad daylight playing her part in this tiny disaster and no one else knew. "Pick up your wand." Hermione obeyed his ever weaker voice and held the wand in her right hand. There was a long pause, Hermione didn't know how long but she let him have his peace- she'd never sat with a dying person before, but she knew she ought to at least allow him that. "I'm scared." The faint hiss haunted Hermione's thoughts for a long while after all these events were a memory. She met his dark eyes and nodded, seeing every fear under the sun present there at once. She took his hand in her left and held it firmly.

"Be ready." She offered.

-*-

"We should go." Hermione muttered, looking around the grounds and remembering it was day time, late afternoon by now and the sun was a lot kinder than it had been. "Things to do," She prompted Draco once more, searching his face for signs that grieving was over and it was time to leave. They'd dug Snape a grave, magically for lack of shovels, but it had felt good nevertheless. He lay there now, wand on chest, ready to be covered, looking as peaceful as he had the moment he'd slipped from Hermione's little world.

"Miles to go." Draco commented, staring now away from his mentor and towards some horizon invisible to Hermione's brown eyes, in his mind's eye.

"Shall I?"

"No I'll…" He didn't move.

"I can do it." Hermione insisted. Draco took a deep breath, looking like he was gathering strength for the task, but then he deflated again,

"Yeah." He muttered forlornly, "You do it." Hermione waved her wand and lifted the pile of soft, fresh earth, letting it fall and sit lightly atop her Professor's body. She couldn't say his track record in her time at Hogwarts had lead to her feeling particularly anguished at his death, but it was the way in which he'd died, and how he had been moments before, that redeemed him enough in her eyes to deserve her undying gratitude and pity. "What now?" Hermione wanted to plan, to focus their attentions anywhere but death, but she knew they needed some time that wasn't any of that.

"Let's just…I know we should go and scout the forest, or maybe build up some defences, or tell someone that Professor Snape is dead but…let's just go back to the room and sleep for a bit." Draco nodded and they made their way side by side back to their room.

Draco instantly took up a post on the window sill, gazing out in frustration at the quiet grounds. Hermione stood helplessly behind him for a moment and then sat by him, looking out too but without really seeing.

"You know it'll be sunset soon."

"Another phase of the plan about to start." Hermione could tell by his tone he was a little beyond preoccupied.

"I hadn't really noticed the time go but, I guess when I said sleep I was being ambitious. There's no way I could sleep now with everything that's happened." This wasn't entirely true. Draco turned to her with a dry smile.

"You don't have to stay up with me. Just because I can't sleep doesn't mean you can't." Hermione made to protest but he just smiled some more, "Stop being so proud Granger, you don't have to be tough in this room- it's not Potter's gang. Besides, I can keep watch."

"Oh thanks!" She sighed in relief. "I don't know how long I could have kept that pretence up anyway,"

"There," Draco pointed to the bundle of belongings on the centre desk and Hermione pulled out the two throws he had brought from the common room. They were velvety and heavy, the nicest thing she'd touched in a while. She took a few paces and then picked her spot, under the window where Draco sat, head leant against one rolled up throw in the corner and the other one covering her. She was surprised how quickly sleep swept her away- she'd thought after all she'd witnessed so recently that she'd be tossing and turning for hours. But no.

-*-

Hermione woke with a jolt to find the room had sunk into darkness.

"Nurgh." She muttered, rubbing a crick in her neck with annoyance.

"Morning Sleeping Beauty…or not morning but…" Draco's voice came to her across the room and she heaved herself up to a kneeling position to see him, crouched over a small fire in the centre of the desks.

"Is that safe?" She asked shakily, still blushing confusedly from the 'sleeping beauty' compliment. But Draco was over it already.

"Probably not." He met her eyes briefly and smiled, then looked back to the flames. "I think we should go back into the forest soon- we need to warn the creatures inside- at least, the part-human ones." Hermione nodded in agreement and reached for one of Draco's jumpers, with a questioning look at him. He nodded and she gratefully pulled it on, coming to join him by the fire.

"One of those for me?" She asked quietly, knowing already it was. Draco had a flask with a cup, and another mug, possibly his toothbrush mug seeing as students weren't required to bring their own cutlery to Hogwarts, and was levitating the flask over the flames to warm the liquid within. When he deftly swept it from the air and poured the liquid it was thick orange- warm pumpkin soup.

Hermione nodded her gratitude as she took large, un-ladylike gulps of the thick, hot substance and felt it slip rewardingly into her stomach. She hadn't realise how cold or hungry she'd been. When she was done she looked to Draco, who was staring unfathomably into the flames, taking a lot longer with his drink. His face was pale with dark shadows, and the death of Snape still hung there, haunting him. Hermione had seen similar looks on Harry's face more than once.

When they finally entered the woods, nearly fifteen minutes later, Hermione felt she was getting sick of the sight, Draco's face read the same. It was that quiet time around midnight and the few hours that follow it; it was quiet everywhere but the forest. This was when the forest was most alive, and she had no doubt they'd find what they were looking for. She walked straight into Draco's back.

"Ow! What did you stop for?" He reached his non-wand hand behind him and caught her arm, carefully guiding her round to stand next to him. Pressed between Draco and a tree Hermione finally stopped watching her careful feet and looked to what Draco had seen. "Voldemort?" She whispered,

"Not personally, but it's how it'll start, the slaughter." Hermione felt a rush of bile up her throat and looked away from the body. Draco moved forward cautiously, wand casting about all the time, and then finally knelt by the unicorn's body. "Stone dead." He muttered. Hermione drew a tired breath. They kept arriving too late to do anything, they needed to be a step ahead. Draco continued to look for clues around and Hermione moved closer to his vulnerable position in the clearing, making sure he was covered by her wand.

A loud crack penetrated the clearing and Hermione spun round wand raised.

"Oh it's you," She sighed with relief as she recognised the form of Firenze, deliberately making himself known,

"I didn't want to startle you." The human face wore a slight smile.

"No, we wouldn't want that." Hermione joked in response. She noticed Draco's wand arm still raised and his face registering utter confusion. "It's ok," she reassured him, "At least I think it is, this is Firenze." Draco nodded and reluctantly lowered his wand and went back to the unicorn's body, glancing back more than once before he resumed his examination.

"You shouldn't be out here Hermione." The wise old Centaur sounded older than ever as his voice echoed through the space between the ancient trees.

"Got a job to do." Hermione told him firmly, and her unwavering gaze said she wouldn't be argued with. "But you've got to get people out of the forest, and animals. Pretty soon Voldemort is going to be in here in full force and he'll destroy everything, he'll raise it to the ground."

"He's already here." Draco's voice cut across Hermione's serious warning and she focused on him for a moment, "More death eaters are already in the forest. One of their pieces," He indicated back at the body by way of indication, wiping his hands on his jeans and standing up in a manner so absurdly like a Muggle Detective that Hermione had to stifle a bubble of laughter. He resumed a tight grip on his wand as Firenze examined him curiously, head on one side.

"You are a …unicorn expert?" He found a tactful way of phrasing his distrust. Draco shook his head honestly,

"An expert in death actually." There was an awkward silence which Hermione filled.

"You know what's happening then?" The centaur nodded, "Then you'll know we don't have much time and can't afford to have any more teachers killed, it just can't happen. Do you know anything of use to us?"

"Only that I have seen a few unknowns moving around in the forest these last few days, the first, I am regretful to say, was right before Albus was killed. But I'm afraid I've no more clue who it was than you. And I have glimpsed, I believe, the Dark Lord's snake about these parts. It's coming nearer. I don't believe this frontier can be won, you should pull back and use what Hogwarts has given you." Hermione hated the way everyone here spoke in riddles, and it would always be too much if she asked them to explain such riddles.

"Thank you." Draco answered for her, but he was clearly uneasy. "We should get out of here, I'm known by them." He slipped past Hermione and tugged at her sleeve, but she remained still.

"You could bring the centaurs into Hogwarts and help us."

"Minnerva positioned me here-"

"McGonagall is going to get us all killed because she's too blind to see what's happening." Hermione said angrily,

"Nevertheless, I stay. We would hate to be so cooped up anyway."

"You could stand guard around the outside," She pleaded, "Then you'd still be doing your job and you wouldn't be inside at all." Still he shook his head and Hermione accepted defeat sadly. "It really is too dangerous to be here you know." She told him quietly, already beginning to follow Draco's light footsteps.

"I've got a job to do, Miss Granger." He replied with a faint smile.


	8. Tenderness

**Author's Note: **_Love you guys,** please review! **I hope you like this action packed chapter, it was hard to know where to stop really...still hope you enjoy. For those that aren't aware Hermione's nickname is sometimes 'Mione' :) xxx_

Hermione watched Draco's shoulders visibly relax as he spied light creeping towards them meaning their spell in the forest was nearly over. Hermione couldn't relax as much.

"I think we threw them." She whispered cautiously forward. If she could have seen Draco's face he would have rolled his eyes,

"I told you, if anyone was following us they weren't a threat. Or they'd have killed us as soon as we turned our backs."

"Maybe," Hermione couldn't shake the uneasy feeling in her gut. "Or maybe they wanted information from us."

"That's why I tried to make you shut up." Now it was Hermione's turn to roll her eyes, Draco had a come back for everything.

"Draco!" Something in her pleading tone must have stifled any further sarcasm,

"You're probably right," He admitted, "But we're not dead yet so let's keep moving. Oh god." He stopped dead, and for the millionth time, Hermione walked straight into him. But by now she knew not to curse and just to look,

"With the emphasis on _yet_." She whispered close in his ear. A group of teachers and older students were striding across the lawn towards the edge of the forest to their left, looking as though they had every intention of going in and scouting. "It's too dangerous Draco we need to do something." When he said nothing, "_Now!_"

"Ok I'm thinking." He hissed back, moving towards the on coming party as he spoke. Hermione moved with him but only till she saw what he was about to do. She tugged his shirt,

"We _can't._ Draco we can't! If we're seen we're as good as dead."

"And if we don't tell them then they are dead." Hermione grabbed him by both shoulders now.

"No way!" He was about to argue but she placed a hurried finger to his lips to silence him. "I've got a plan." She barely breathed.

Hermione began to lead Draco deeper into the forest, all the while keeping an eye on the ever-approaching gang, trying to judge where and how soon they would enter the forest. Soon enough Hermione came across a likely enough spot from which to launch her plan. There was a soft bank with a dip behind it, big enough for them to lie in and stay low yet not so big they wouldn't be able to see over the summit and out of the forest into the daylight. Hermione took up her position, lying between the trees in the soft earth, Draco followed suit though still not sure for what purpose. They were drawing nearer to the edge and Draco raised his eyebrows.

"Are we just going to lie here till they either walk on us or get killed?" He said, somewhat exasperated.

"No!" She whispered indignantly, and then raise her wand, taking carefully aim through the trees, "Expelliamus." She hissed, and her spell went whistling past one of the students' left ear. The party stopped dead and she raised her wand again.

"Are you mad?" Draco's voice rose suddenly, but Hermione shook her head, a little smile forming as she realised her plan would work.

"Aim to miss. We have to persuade them that the forest is too far gone for them to come in here." Then realisation dawned on Draco's face too, "Expelliamus."

"We're pretending we're the Death Eaters? Smooth, although shooting at our own side is kind of morbid." Hermione's smile widened inexplicably as she fired two more defensive spells and she got one back in return. She was smiling because Draco had said 'our side', she knew she had been right to trust him and now it was paying off, he was becoming truly one of the good guys. "But those spells aren't gonna cut it if we're playing Death Eaters," He muttered. And then with a little frown, "Crucio!" That swerved dangerously close to McGonagall.

"Are you mad?!" Hermione almost stood with outrage, but Draco replied calmly,

"Aim to miss." She pursed her lips- of all the things she knew she'd never do, use an unforgivable curse was right at the top of her list- apparently not any more. "Sectumpsempra."

"Imperio."

"Crucio."

"Crucio." They flung curses out fast as they could and then Hermione looked at Draco, "We really need to make them retreat, can we do it?"

"That's a dangerous card to play Hermione, if you don't miss-"

"We will!" She looked at him fiercely and they both aimed together,

"Avada Kedavra!" They shot the curses in tandom, both equally scared that one victim would panic and run into the oncoming beam- but none did. The death curses whistled past harmlessly and they both could breathe easily, and heavily, for some minutes. Hermione buried her face in the earth to regain composure.

"It worked." Draco told her quietly, but she couldn't speak, she just nodded gratefully.

-*-

Hermione and Draco waited some hours, just before usual breakfast time, till they made their way back up to the castle and entered their room- this time through the window. It was day 3.

"I'm starving." Hermione whispered, Draco just laughed,

"You haven't been starving till you've been locked in the Dark Lord's cellar for five days; now that's starving." She looked down and blushed, instantly feeling guilty.

"I'm sorry." She muttered, looking up at him with honest eyes, "What's tha-"

"No drama." He cut in quickly, "You learn to deal." Hermione saw that the conversation was over and turned away. She dare not look back over her shoulder but she was longing to see the expression on his face, would it be fear, anger, regret, pain? Or something else all together? She blushed to the wall, she so badly wanted to know what he was feeling, for him to confide in her. Draco moved on almost as quickly as he had shut her down, "I've got a little more food though, admittedly not much, I don't know where our next lot is coming from, but…" He trailed off and went to search through their belongings. Hermione watched curiously as the searching became more frantic.

"Draco what…?"

"It's gone." His face puzzled as he searched once more, "I _know _it was here."

"Let me look," Hermione shoved him out of the way and trawled through his things, shaking everything out thoroughly. "Ok, weird. Is anything else gone?" Draco began to claw hurriedly across the floor, feeling clothing, checking pockets.

"DA coin." He muttered, "Death Eaters, they took the DA coin and now they think they'll starve us out."

"Bit small fry," Hermione pointed out, "They're taking over Hogwarts but they're taking the time to freak-out two powerless 18year olds in the process, one they don't even know exists."

"No it's very them, you need to understand," He sat more comfortably on the floor and Hermione crossed her legs and looked intently at him, like story time at kinder-garden; _only ironically morbid. _She thought. He looked at her intently as he spoke, as though he was willing her to understand, as though her survival depended on it, "The Death Eaters are exactly like that, the main fear about them, it's all in the mind. They're no extraordinary wizards and witches, it's all about how they play- and they play with your mind. They take the time to pick on individuals, to weaken you, drag you down mentally, tease you, that's probably why we were followed and not attacked earlier." Hermione felt queasy, even more so as Draco continued, "My bet's that Potter and the others might have the same kind of thing going on, only it'll be harder to get to them." Mione gulped.

"Then we can't let them get to us, we've got to keep going, ok?" Draco smiled shyly,

"Did I say I was planning on anything else Granger?" She smiled too and tossed her DA coin into the pile of junk,

"Can't use that any more, there's no way I'm giving them a heads up." Draco sighed. "I hate to be a pain but we've got to keep these teachers alive, we can't help the Order now, who knows what's happened to them, but we can't sit around being hungry."

"You're right, better just keep moving." Hermione looked out at the sunlight suspiciously, "Should we stick together?" He looked to be about to say split up and form a plan, but Draco hesitated, and then resigned,

"Let's just go together." He agreed.

-*-

"So Flitwick is safe." Hermione's hurried whisper must have carried for ages down the silent corridor but she didn't really mind, she was whispering out of habit more than necessity. "McGonagall next, then back up to Astronomy."

"Yeah, then we'll look for some food." Hermione grinned,

"Bout time- hey!" She pointed up the corridor towards McGonagall's office, the lights were brighter there; more candles were alight in their brackets on the walls. "Something's up." She mused, casting her glance behind them to check no one was following.

"Get back!" Draco hissed suddenly, flinging his arm back into her stomach and nearly winding her as he shoved her back towards a bend in the corridor.

They crouched just behind the safety of the bend, well into the shadows, and listened to voices coming up the corridor. Hermione sucked in her breath as she heard who it was, amazed by the pain the voices invoked. Draco looked sidelong at her but said nothing, watching the line of her mouth for a tell-tale twitch that any emotion was associated. Hermione made herself look blank, although she couldn't help the colour draining a little- but within seconds it was over. The couple stood up very slowly and Draco poked his head around the wall,

"All clear," He looked directly at Mione, "Are you-?"

"No drama." She told him firmly, and he nodded understandingly. "Only Harry and Ron anyway, they're long gone back to the tower by now." Draco looked uncertain,

"Let's just check on her then get out of here." Hermione nodded and strode off,

"Don't count on it!" Harry's voice echoed back through the corridor and Mione stopped dead,

"Harry, hey," She turned around slowly, Draco at her side, to see Harry and Ron had appeared from behind a statue and stood, wands drawn, blocking their exit.

"What are you doing Malfoy?" Harry directed his question right at Draco, who had somehow got some confidence since their last encounter in the common room,

"More than you that's for sure Potter." He retorted. Hermione edged forward, eyes on Harry more than Ron, trying to put herself between Draco and harm.

"Harry," She spoke softly, looking straight into Harry's eyes, "We're just checking McGonagall's still alive and then we're leaving."

"She is," He muttered, "And you're not."

"Harry!" She warned, "You can't tell me what to do."

"Hermione you've gone crazy." Ron rose his voice now, "You're trusting him?"

"Yes. Just because you've all lost hope doesn't mean I have, I'm fighting Harry, we killed two Death Eaters already."

"What happened to you? He's changed you." Loud and clear, Harry took a threatening step forward, "You've killed people?"

"For Hogwarts!" Hermione yelled now, not even noticing Draco quietly slip out his wand, ready for the battle ahead. "In case you haven't noticed, people are dying, and you're on the list-"

"Don't tell me that I haven't-"

"Snape!" Hermione roared, "I watched Snape die, I was there and he told me what was coming. And if you refuse to listen then…"

"Then what?" Harry asked coldly, ignoring the fact he'd blanched in shock at the news of Professor Snape,

"Stand aside." Hermione whispered, "Or I'll make you."

"This is all his fault." Ron barged in again and Hermione met his brown eyes briefly, "You've changed her, I wanna know what you've done to her- you bastard!"

"Hermione let's go," Draco touched her arm for a second and Ron's hand flexed around his wand, his knuckles a shade whiter, "We've got a job to do." Hermione's eyes narrowed at her once-friends and nodded decisively.

"You stay away from her!" Then things began to happen to fast for Hermione to control, she intended to march forward and slap him for being so stupid, put his views straight, but what happened instead was very unintended. "Impedimenta!" Ron yelled at Draco and lashed his wand down with malice,

"Ron!" She squealed, trying desperately to throw herself in the way of the curse. "Aah!"

Draco's attention was distracted by Hermione's yell as Harry pelted forward and grabbed her by the arm, yanking her back with him and Ron; he fell to the floor.

"Harry stop it!" Hermione's voice grew more desperate, "You're hurting me." He let go, a little reluctantly,

"Hermione what are you doing?" Harry pleaded, trying to force her to look at him, see his point of view, "I don't understand!"

"You wouldn't." She snapped, spinning round to watch the duel that was in full fling, and, to his eternal credit in Hermione's eyes, Draco only defended, never attacked. She waited. Picked an opportune moment, wincing as Ron flung a curse right at Draco,

"Sectumsempra!" He paused, a manic smile in place, watching for its effect and then she pounced.

"Expelliamus!" Hermione didn't hold back, she threw her curse heavily at Ron's chest and saw him crumple, "Let's go!" She yelled at Draco. He didn't need telling twice, taking her by the wrist as he began to run to make sure she didn't get left behind, Harry and Ron outraged in their wake.

-*-

"Oh god. Oh god. Oh god." Hermione breathed as she ran along the corridor. Draco stopped running and swung her round to face him,

"You ok?" Hermione looked for a second as though her face was going to crumple; she exhaled slowly, and then held herself in,

"I'm fine, we have to move fast." Draco paused briefly, and raised a hand. Gently he swept a strand of hair back from her eyes and looked at her…_tenderly? Is that even possible? _Hermione's mind reeled with what was and wasn't possible.

"Ok, let's go." The moment shattered as quickly as it had opened its fragile eyes and Hermione shook herself- _plan mode Mione, plan mode. _

Once back in the room Hermione began to pace, Draco had gathered all their belongings into a bundle and was waiting furtively.

"We can't stay, they'll have gone straight to McGonagall. We'll be chased from both sides now. We're everyone's enemy. We just need to _do _something…" Draco looked exasperated at her stating the obvious, "Ok, ok, I'm thinking." She muttered, irritated, "Right get those out of here, hide them somewhere easy to find down the corridor and then-Wait! I really do have a plan." Her face lit up and Draco caught her crazy smile. A whisper of a thought began in his mind, or maybe it was there anyway, _damn, what a scary girl…brilliant, fantastic, but scary. _

"You're giving me crazy, risky plan-face." She looked sheepish,

"One final fling, to make real use of this room before we have to run. I take the DA coin- give it to me-" Draco rummaged through his pile, Hermione's hand impatiently trying to butt in every now and then, till he found the little gold communications device. "And I pretend to message you, tell 'you'," she made quotation marks, "I'm injured and I need you to come to help me, I'm in our usual place. Then I need you to, and I'm sorry this is risking your ass, but I need you to walk obviously out of here, so they know where to come. I pretend to be injured, in pops a Death Eater, you jump in through the window and down goes our third bad guy." Hermione sped up and became more excited towards the end, not really understanding herself why she was smiling. Draco nodded and began to move, not bothering to question, only to act.

Just as he left the room Hermione felt her first real thrill of leadership, the strength of control; and liked it very much. She began to turn the coin slowly, planning her words carefully, all the while thinking _can you actually double-cross a Death Eater, or are they one step ahead already? _

'Draco, get back now. I'm hurt. Come to the room, please, urgent.' It sounded desperate enough to her ears, so hopefully it'd fool them. She sat down on the floor and stuck her left leg out, pushing up her trouser leg messily, then she took her wand and whispered and incantation, sliding the spell up her leg and wincing. As it moved slowly up it made a long gash up the inside of her calf; she knew it was a shallow surface wound, but there was a lot of blood already, with any luck it would look convincing, because it hurt like hell. She sent the next message, 'Hurry back, I think I need help.' Then she held her breath.

If Hermione had held her breath any longer she was sure she would have fainted, then finally the door creak and Draco's delicate blonde head poked round,

"All set." She told him, giving double thumbs up. He lingered a moment longer, gave her a slight wink for reassurance and then left the room. Now the holding the breath had disappeared, it was all Mione could do to keep the hyperventilating to a minimum.

-*-

The door creaked a final time and Hermione sucked her breath in. A figure in a cloak, unmasked, unhidden, had waltzed straight into Hogwarts and now stood before her, terrifyingly close. She couldn't help herself,

"Couldn't resist could you?" She whispered, as the door locked shut behind him, no doubt Draco's hidden wand had fired the spell from somewhere. The Death Eater's eyes didn't even flicker from Hermione's uncanny smile as she rose gracefully. He looked briefly at her leg and then realised his mistake and raised his wand.

"Avada Ked-!"

"Avada Kedavra!" The nameless Death Eater and Draco yelled at the same time. Hermione, who had no time to draw her own wand, let alone to think, did the only thing that nature allowed her to. She threw herself flat on the floor- who knew she could move that quickly? As the wind of the spells rushed over, far too close. There was a thud and she saw the Death Eater's body fall.

"Draco?" He was already through the window,

"Get out!" He told her urgently, and she heaved herself up and over the window ledge without a question, turning back to see Draco raiding the body for useful items. As soon as he was done he placed a single hand on the window ledge and vaulted himself easily over the summit.

"Useful?" She asked, panting as they crouched against the wall.

"Sure." He nodded then closed his eyes briefly, "Rudolphus Lestrange, been waiting to get my hands on him for years." He added the vengeance note to his childhood bully with some relish. Bellatrix' husband had always picked on him, teased him, pushed him to his limits torture-wise. Justice was oddly poetic. "They're gonna be after us now, Hogwarts isn't safe 'cause we're going to get locked up or forced apart-" His voice faltered as their gaze met, "And we can't save them if that happens."

"Time to run some more?" Hermione cast a sly glance sidelong and noticed Draco's smile had appeared along with hers, "Let's go!"


	9. Tearing The Soul

Author's Note: _Ok yeha it's been forever, i'm super busy i'm sooo sorry. But this story is back underway :) Hope you enjoy the chemistry in this chapter, hopefully you will be going 'aaw' so much that you have to **review **thanks soo much for being patient and i hope you're all still interested because i love you all to death!! :) :) xxx_

"Luna!" Hermione hissed, she was tucked into an alcove on the first floor corridor, looking around nervously for teachers, even though she knew Draco was on guard. The blonde girl stopped walking and turned round,

"Hermione," She looked unsure, "You've been gone for days, the others…the others are angry, I think, with you." Hermione looked at the floor then up again, with hardened eyes,

"I don't have time for them." She muttered, and Luna nodded, not understanding, but not walking away either. "Luna I'm starving, can you steal me some food from the hall? I know I shouldn't ask but-"

"It's ok Hermione, I'll get it, I wouldn't let you starve." She turned to walk and then paused mid-step, "Does _he _want some too?" Hermione blushed, she didn't have to meet Luna's eye or ask whether she'd seen Draco, that was who she was talking about.

"We're starving." She pleaded.

Hermione crouched for forty-five minutes, ignoring the painful leg cramp she got and how cold her hands were, it was a wonder they weren't numb. Then Luna came quietly down the corridor, her footsteps so light compared to Hermione's clumpy, clumsy ones.

"I got as much as I could," Her delicate face looked sympathetic, as she glanced towards the window where Draco was stood, "Be careful." She added, walking away and leaving Hermione with one of her school bags, containing a good amount of food.

"Thank you so much." Hermione called as quietly as she could manage after her.

She turned and crept to the end of the corridor, tapping Draco on the back, he turned and smiled then hopped out of the window. He spun round and took the parcel from Mione's hands, so she could pull herself through, with one final glance back down the long corridor towards the Great Hall, secretly hoping to catch a glimpse of Ron or Harry. The couple sat right there, below the window, backs to the wall and opened their food parcel.

"We've got to make this last," Draco warned her,

"Only for four more days, max." She pointed out with a wry smile, Draco caught her humour and nodded. He took a bread roll and began to eat, passing the bag to Hermione who chose the same. When she bit into the soft, white roll it was the nicest sensation she'd felt in a few days, but it felt a lot longer, eternity. She could only allow herself a few minutes of bliss, however, "Draco, we need to block off the Whomping Willow." She turned her head sharply to where it was, expecting, almost, to see a sudden frenzy of Death Eater movement, but it was eerily still.

"The entrances, I'd almost forgotten, with…" Draco's look softened but Hermione's went the other way,

"Draco!?"

"Hey! I said almost." He muttered resentfully, the guard back up again. Mione cursed herself. "Let's do it then."

"P-Pardon?" And then the smile was back, at Hermione shock. He laughed aloud.

"Oh Hermione…I mean let's close the entrance." He laughed again and stood. _God Hermione, _she thought, blushing, _get a grip. _Now she stood too.

Hermione tucked the food bag back into the alcove, knowing they couldn't be lugging it everywhere, even though leaving it was a risk of it getting stolen. Then she set off down the lawn, wand out, just a few short strides behind Draco. Even at this distance, it felt too far away to be safe, she thought. They halted, breathing heavily, just out of range of the lethal, flailing branches.

"How do you do this again?" Draco winced, taking a definite step back as a branch swung dangerously close to them. It was like the tree was vindictive; it knew they were there, and didn't like it.

"Wingadium Leviosa." Hermione flicked her wand and raised a twig from the floor. Carefully, she guided it towards the knot on the trunk of the old willow and made a definite pushing motion, in a split second, the tree froze completely. "Right, that's done." She brushed off her hands in a mock 'work done' manner and smiled, turning to Draco,

"Hermione get in. Now!" Draco shoved her forward roughly, she didn't question, but tried to look over her shoulder to see who was coming for them.

"Shit." She whispered, and then dived head long into the tunnel entrance. Draco mimicked exactly and they landed in a flailing heap at the bottom. "Urgh." She rubbed her arm, feeling bruises already, and tried to disentangle herself, "Oh, um, sorr-" Draco's face was suddenly very close, in the untangling process; Hermione stopped breathing, she could have sworn her heart wasn't beating. The tip of Draco's nose touched the tip of hers, both of them were freezing cold. "I'm…" She tried again, taking a large gulp of air, "I…"

"Barrier. Bollocks!" Draco spun round, knocking Hermione backwards in his hurry. She caught herself and scrambled away, _Hermione what are you doing? _Draco began weaving his wand, muttering a protection spell as fast as he could. "McGonagall and a few others- we're screwed if they catch us." Hermione scrambled backwards, begging the tree to come back to life.

"Draco come on." She hissed, crawling further and further backwards down the tunnel.

"Done." He whispered back, definite relief in his voice as he backed away from the entrance as fast as he could. "Stop!" He grabbed her arm and they froze. Hermione pushed herself back against the wall, knees to chest in the dark claustrophobic tunnel, the air felt tight; Draco mimicked her movement and they huddled together, listening intently.

"Oh thank god for that." Hermione let her whole body droop as she heard the tree resume movement, and a few muffled screams from outside assured her it was keeping their raiding party at bay.

"We're not out of the woods yet." Draco whispered, nodding up the tunnel, the way they hadn't explored yet. He winked in the dark, "Let's go block off some Death Eaters."

-*-

The two walked back to back when the tunnel finally became the shrieking shack, relying entirely on each other, wands out, holding their other hands tightly together for guidance and, though they'd never admit it, reassurance and comfort. They made it right to the door without hindrance,

"Are we going to look out?" Draco asked for her lead now, they needed to make sure there were no Death Eaters outside, and then block off this entrance. Hermione frowned for a second,

"No," She whispered, "Give me a minute." She turned around and walked back from the door a few paces. Next to the door were a few boxes, pile atop one another, Hermione stepped up on top of them, then looked up for her next hold. There was a window sill just a stretch above her. Carefully Hermione hoisted herself up by her arms and wriggled onto the narrow window sill. There wasn't a window, as such, it was boarded up, but there was just enough of a gap to peer out into the cold light.

"Wow Hermione, not that you're not fit- I mean, erm, you know, athletic-" Draco cleared his throat, "But good climbing, that was unexpected."

"Saw it on the way in." She winked, "I learnt my minimal climbing skill from trees back home." Draco nodded appreciatively, "Anyway, there's none close to the shack, but there's four or five just down the hill, if you work the barrier spell, I could hit them from here I reckon. Take them out." She looked at her comrade for an approving smile. But Draco looked wary.

"Hermione…I know we're trying to even the odds a bit, but killing people-"

"Draco!" Hermione aimed her wand carefully through the gap, "This is no time to be a wimp, I don't want to even the odds I want to win. I _can _kill these guys, it'll make everyone's life easier."

"Not yours. Mione, killing tears your soul, there's nothing good about it. Please don't do it, come down now." Hermione's eyes narrowed,

"I'm not taking a vote Draco."

"Hermione don't do-"

"Avada Kedavra!"

"No!" Draco yelled; he'd always have been too late to change her mind, no matter when he yelled. "Hermione!"

"Shut up and work that barrier Draco!" Hermione nearly screamed as the Death Eater she had targeted fell and the others realised what was going on. They leapt over the body and began running towards the shack, firing spells. "Avada Kedavra." Another fell as Draco obediently worked his spell, shaking his head, and looking furious. "Avada Kedavra!" A spell ricocheted off the shack above her head, shaking it, forcing Hermione to grip the sill with one hand. "Avada Kedavra!" Another went down but another spell hit the roof. Chunks of wood and sawdust rained down around Hermione and she decided, with relief, that she'd done enough. "Draco, help me down." Draco left the door and turned to her with open arms. She slid into them easily and then pulled away, brushing herself off and pocketing her wand.

"We're done here, that's all the barrier I've got I'm afraid." They began to back out of the shack, the way they had come, and fast.

"Let's get the barrier down up front and get out of here then. Oh don't give me that look, it's done, let's go." Hermione snapped, avoiding Draco's large, disappointed, grey eyes.

-*-

"Draco hurry up and get that barrier down, this tunnel is stuffy, I want to breath some fresh air." Hermione nagged, from her crossed legged position in the tunnel. Draco was on all fours ahead of her, working a counter-spell for the defences he had put up. Hermione noticed where his jeans were pulled tight across his bum, it was quite nice- well he was pretty sporty, what did she expect? Draco stopped suddenly and reversed, he collapsed next to her in the tunnel and put away his wand, looking tired.

"No good."

"What do you mean it's no good?" Hermione insisted.

"McGonagall and that, they don't give up, they've set up a watch- or something- anyway, they're out there trying to get in." Hermione put her head in her hands and spoke in a muffled tone,

"And the Death Eaters that are still alive are out there trying to get in. Oh god." She whispered the last.

Draco watched her curiously for a moment and then he placed his hands on her wrist, and gently prised her hands from her face. Hermione looked up at him, and she looked, if possible, even more tired than he did.

"I'm sorry if I snapped earlier, it's just-" He sighed and looked away in frustration, "Hermione, killing tears your soul. And-"

"Draco I made the choice, I told you, my hands wont be clean at the end of this, but I made that sacrifice, I knew what I was doing."

"Maybe you did, I don't know. But I just…"

"What?" Draco's breaths echoed through the tunnel, Hermione listened intently to each of them.

"I said before, your soul is too precious. I didn't know what I was saying then, but now I do. I know it's too late, but you've got to save what's left, your soul is good and pure and true. Don't ruin it for anyone, please, least of all because of me, because of my example." Hermione's stomach was clenched tight, she didn't know why but tears were welling in her eyes, she hung from his words. "Killing really does tear your soul." He said darkly, "When I think of murder shredding yours- I can't bear it."

After a minute of silence, intense silence, Hermione broke eye contact. Then she realised Draco was still holding her hands; she gently pulled them free.

"Um…we should lean on each other and sleep for a bit. It's going to be the comfiest way to pass the time. Besides, when are we ever going to get to sleep again if not now?" It took him a moment to react, then Draco laughed.

"Too right, here you go." He leaned back against the wall twitched his head, indicating she could join and Mione gave a little smile. She snuggled up close and they both relaxed, trying to get some shut eye while they could.

After a period of time, Hermione didn't know how long, but she knew the day was getting darker outside, she turned her head on Draco's chest.

"Draco? Have you slept?" She felt a movement,

"Not a wink." He muttered, sitting up a little and then tugging her closer for warmth, tightening the arm around her shoulder.

"Draco…" She took a deep breath, "I've been thinking a lot and what you said earlier, about killing tearing your soul; I'm not so sure it does." Draco moved to look at her and they both sat up. Hermione faced him honestly. "Seems to me, there aren't many rules in magic that you can't break. It's all down to interpretation. And I think, that killing only tears your soul if you let it. Only you can make that choice. Where is the good in what you're doing? Is it enough to rule out the deed? Who are you helping and why? You know?" Draco was stunned for a second, then he nodded slowly.

"Are you going to let it?" Hermione half-smiled,

"I know what's right." Was all she replied. "If you judge it in that way, you haven't done too much wrong either, I think your soul is still intact. If you want it to be."

"More than anything."

-*-

Hermione and Draco found their food mercifully untouched, they ate quickly and in silence, knowing that their food untouched only meant that the Death Eaters were busy somewhere else. After their dinner they went on the rounds, checking everyone who should be still alive was still alive. They began at the top and worked down,

"Where the hell is she?" Draco scanned the room with annoyance but Sinistra was nowhere to be found. "I don't like this, the castle is too quiet, all the ghosts have gone, it's a bad sign."

"It's like the calm before the storm." Hermione nodded. "I think I have an idea where the teachers might be though." Draco turned round,

"You didn't fancy maybe mentioning this idea before we walked all the way up here did you?"

"Didn't think of it then." She stuck her tongue out. "I think they might be having a meeting, maybe in the Great Hall."

"Good call, we should go." Hermione looked fearfully around as they shut the door, she felt very exposed in the corridor by themselves.

"Well, let's take the back way," She reasoned, "I don't want to get caught-god- by our own side, the people we're fighting for. How ironic is that?"

They slipped quickly down the back staircases, through the smaller, darker corridors, past Filch's office where the door was ajar. Hermione skirted warily round the beam of light cast from it.

"Wait up!" Draco walked right up to the door, and Hermione made to snatch him back, "No need." He whispered, "Damn, I thought so." And he swung the door wide open.


	10. Forgotten

Author's Note: _Thanks for being so patient, this school year is hellishly busy, but this story is my priority out of all of them to update...i predict about 2/3 chapters left :) :) Hope you are all still with me and enjoying it as much. Sorry for the wait, be absolute stars for me and **review :) **it makes my day it really does...xxx_

"Bloody hell! How could we be so stupid, Hermione, we forgot."

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Hermione cursed, as she watched a forlorn Draco skirt round the slumped body of Filch across the desk.

"I'm no fan, but the poor bastard didn't deserve that." Hermione nodded in solemn agreement.

"I'd say a few words but-" Hermione sighed and sucked in a few pathetic tears, "But honestly, I have no idea what to say. Oh god!" She breathed deeply again, "You're right, he didn't deserve that, we're very sorry." She addressed the body which Draco had shuffled to a less awkward position.

"I hate the Death Eaters." Draco's eyes darkened as he whispered. But Hermione could see the burning anger which, ironically, would have made him a very good Death Eater- or maybe Death Eaters shunned that kind of passion- how was she to know?

"Let's go." They shut the door quietly behind them and left at a brisk walk.

At the end of the corridor Hermione had another thought.

"We've forgotten more than one person, Draco." When he looked at her blankly, "Madame Pomfrey? The house elves?" Draco shrugged,

"Oh I suppose we ought to go to them."

"Yes we ought." Hermione asserted through gritted teeth and Draco fought the urge to roll his eyes in impatience.

"Oh alright!" He sighed, "You go to the house elves, I'll go to Madam Pomfrey but make it quick, I'll meet you outside the Great Hall as soon as we can." Hermione scampered away down the corridor as fast as she could. She took a short cut down some steep narrow stairs which took her out right at the back of the ground floor. Hermione slipped through the shadow pools and carefully into the darkened corridor, down to the portrait of a bowl of fruit; once here, feeling rather stupid, she tickled the plump pear, and it wriggled, almost reluctantly into a door handle. Rather timidly, she turned it and hauled the door towards her.

Mione breathed a sigh of relief. The house elves, sweet fragile-looking things, were bobbing around as per usual, only the sending-up process of food was even more complex, with food disappearing in all kinds of places instead of just the four designated tables. Their ears flapped as they padded across the stone floor with plates and knives and goblets all far too big for them, making them appear smaller than they already were. One of them stopped, gazing up at her with crystal blue eyes,

"Can I help you miss?" She faltered as a whole herd of them stopped their fetching and carrying to stare at her, "Something to eat, miss?"

"Erm, just Hermione, not miss. And…" she inhaled deeply, it smelt fantastic, but she didn't have time to stop- she had lives to save. That thought gave her a tingly, buzz inside, she felt connected to something greater, beyond being connected to magic, something very humbling. "And thank you, but I really can't stop. I've got a job to do." She turned to go with a slight smile, and then spun back more solemnly, remembering that they deserved full warning. "Listen, I know you know what's going on upstairs." Several pairs of ears flapped vigorously, "Well if there's a war here, which there could be, if V- He Who Must Not Be Named gets to Hogwarts, then you'll all be in serious danger. I also know you can apparate in and out of Hogwarts, I want you to do that, if he comes here."

"We couldn't leave, miss, Hogwarts is where we work and live." It was such a simple answer, yet it made no sense, _why stay? _She was exasperated with peoples' sense of duty. Ever since she'd tried to help people, all they'd done is say that they wouldn't take the help, they'd rather stay and die.

"I don't have time to argue." She told them firmly, "At least you know what's coming, all I can do is warn you, the rest is down to you." Hermione left the kitchen swiftly, with a sad sigh, before the mouth-watering smell over came her completely. She sprinted up the short corridor to meet Draco.

"You're late," He commented, with a slight smirk at her out-of-breath-ness, as she appeared.

"Yeah, they weren't keen on the whole 'leaving and living' idea." She rolled her eyes, "People are so stubborn when it comes to duty." As she said this Draco's eyes sunk down and then skirted away from her,

"Guess they must be." Ignoring the area of Draco that seemed to be very out of bounds, Hermione turned towards the Great Hall,

"Time for a peek." They edged towards the doors warily, the teachers were almost as dangerous as the Death Eaters, and Hermione pondered how she'd become outcast and a public enemy so quickly, it had been- little could she believe it- less than a week since Dumbledore's Death. She and Draco crouched in unison and shuffled each other for a good view through the crack in the door.

The teachers were all there, Hermione did a head count: McGonagall, Sprout, Slughorn, Flitwick, Sinistra and to her utmost shock- Hagrid!

"Hagrid's back." She hissed to her comrade, pressed close against her in the fight to see through the tiny gap. They were pressed together just so her hair hung slightly across his face, and her arm was stuck tightly to her side, penned in by his muscular shoulder.

"Good, either the Order know …oh, or they're all dead. But I think they'd look a bit sadder if everyone had just died, don't you?" Hermione suppressed a giggle,

"Just a bit," She whispered her response. After a moment or so they both rose so they were stood facing the double doors, Draco incredibly close to Hermione's back; her breathing quickened.

A hand, Draco's, dropped softly onto Hermione's shoulder where it rested, warm and heavy, she began to turn around, feeling the heat that seemed to radiate out, in waves from that spot, all over her body. Soon they were face to face, far too close, and the hand still hadn't moved- she knew that any second she'd have to look up into those eyes, and she had no idea what would happen when she did. The moment was fragile.

And broken instantly.

"Shit!" Something whistled so close to Hermione's head that she almost yelled the word. Draco's hand flew instantly to the left side of her head, checking for injury. "I'm fine," She swotted him away

"What was it?" They both spun around wildly and Mione shivered, it had felt like a spell. "Wand out." Draco reminded her quietly and she slowly drew her wand, terrified to make a sharp movement, in case it was the Death Eaters or even just Harry and Ron playing jokes.

"Draco!" He followed her scared voice as she ran to a patch of wall just to the left of the Great Hall entrance. "Draco we're in trouble- I-" Her voice shook suddenly "I mean, we're all in big trouble."

"An arrow…" He joined her staring up at the curious artefact, wedged, with impressive force, into the concrete wall. Draco stretched and yanked hard, three times, eventually forcing it, and some of the wall, loose. "Firenze." Realisation began to dawn on his face, all lingering excitement from a few moments ago fell away in a split second. "Mione, there's a note." Hermione stared at the floor and then turned away, her gaze suddenly training along the flagstones and up the wall to the window through which it must have flown,

"Read it." She called back urgently, darting forwards.

"Everyone dying, Death Eaters are here, too late to-" Draco stopped as he looked up, to see her thrust her head out of the window, squinting down to the forest. He took a deep breath, following her footsteps more slowly, "Too late to stop it. He is here. You need to be ready, all exits are gone, it's time to fight. You have a job to do." There followed the blackest silence either had experienced. The air seemed to congeal and shudder, as if it could feel the oncoming storm.

"It's too quiet in there Draco. What if they're all already dead?" Draco shook his head in pity, though she never saw; Hermione was gazing too intently into the trees, wanting more than anything for something to emerge that she could blame for what Firenze was facing right now. Draco reached a hand forward again and this time clasped it round her arm, trying to gently pull her away. "Draco!" She snapped, pulling her arm free suddenly. "I'm not going to stand by and do nothing." Tears streaked her voice so it screeched painfully, ached in her throat. She turned and threw herself onto the window sill, scrambling out as fast as she could. Hermione ran a little way and then found her legs wouldn't carry her any further. She collapsed to her knees, her body wracked with sobs of exhaustion, emotion and despair.

Draco crashed to the floor next to her and flung his arms around her, pressing her shuddering body tightly into his embrace. He leaned his head on top of hers and rocked her, both their wands discarded at their side.

"It's not fair Draco," She wailed, "It's just not fair. They're going to win, we can't stop them and we tried- oh god- we tried so hard. And, and…I can't bare it." Her crying gulps and yelps echoed from the building behind her, "I- I don't w-want to die!"

"Ssh, hey, I'm not going to let anything happen to you, I swear, I wont let them get you. I'll do anything to keep you safe. I promise Hermione." He allowed her to keep sobbing, more gently now, and wouldn't loosen his grip, holding her strongly when she needed it most, as her crying gradually quietened.

After a time there was silence, still silence from the forest, a silence that crept through both of the couple who knew what was going on deep inside- the indescribable slaughter that wrecked the few moments of peace. Hermione shuffled so she sat more comfortably in Draco's arms neither of them moved their eyes from the looming horizon of the far back of the forest,

"What are we going to do?" He whispered, somewhat desolately, he felt as though a void was sucking them up as they clung to each other on the descent. They couldn't persuade the teachers, they couldn't gain Potter's trust; they were fighting the tide. "Hermione what-?" His eyes narrowed as he stared more closely at the horizon, Hermione inhaled sharply. They scrambled hurriedly to their feet, disentangling limbs. Running a hand through her wild hair, Hermione looked around desperately- but no rescue was coming.

"We've got to tell them. Now!" She wrenched herself away from the ominous sight, so small, yet so deadly, creeping closer to Hogwarts when Hogwarts wasn't ready. They ran faster than they'd run yet, through the main doors, skidding through the entrance hall and burst into the Great Hall.


	11. You're Nothing!

**Author's Note: time for another chapter :) i'm churning them out as fast as possible to give you guys the ending for this!! :D enjoy!! and please please review! **it really makes my day. I love writing this story for you guys. xx

"Proffessor! They're coming. They're here." Hermione made an unashamed entrance into the hall, yelling her message to the heavens as she burst in; Draco tailing but silently. All wands pointed directly at them, even Hagrid's umbrella was half-raised in confusion. Hermione paused, breathing heavily, waiting for a response; none came. "Send for…" she faltered, "Send for Pot- I mean, Harry, he needs to hear this." Draco took a step closer behind her, she felt no need to draw her wand, he had her covered with his. Proffessor McGonagall sent a silent Patronus gliding from the room.

"I don't know what has become of you Miss Granger." Her voice was calm but deadly, "You were such a good student, but to run amock like this, when we are at war!" McGonagall's Scottish tones rang clearly as her voice grew more and more shrill.

"_I know_, Proffessor." She felt all the breath rush out of her, her voice quiet, yet desperate. "I know we're at war, I've been fighting it for you. And I _am _a good student, I'm still Hermione, but a good student isn't enough. A good _Griffindor _is brave and true and puts others before themselves in danger and follows their heart. And for the record…" She glanced at the other teachers, whose wands' focus had shifted slightly to align on Draco, "So does a good Slytherin, and a good Ravenclaw and a good Hufflepuff." She fell silent.

"What can you mean, Miss Granger, that is of any importance to us at such a time? The Order are about to fly in and we'll launch an offensive, you will surely now see sense and go quietly back to your own houses before we force you there."

"They can't do that!" Draco seemed unable to hold his silence any more, "We saw the fire start-"

"The smoke is coming across the forest-"

"It'll be an hour-"

"Maybe two-"

"Maximum." Draco looked at Hermione and they shared a smile in their eyes, didn't dare to let it creep onto their faces. McGonagall looked exasperated,

"Will one of you please explain yourselves before I have you both stunned and restrained." There was the sound of footsteps, two sets, behind them, and Hermione turned warily. In the door stood Harry and Ron, Ron's arms were crossed in disbelief but it was Harry that spoke.

"Now this I _have _to hear." Hermione blushed as all eyes were on her.

"Listen, we've been into the forest, we spoke to Snape as he was…as he died…we've got the Death Eaters' plans. They were planning on killing all the teachers first, but we…well we stopped them, and it was taking too long so they brought everything forward. They probably punched a massive hole in the defences at the back of the school, all the Death Eaters are inside the forest. Firenze told us…they're killing everything that moves in there, and they're starting to burn it down, they'll push forward just ahead of the flames, and get us trapped in here, the Order will be slaughtered along with the rest of us. Look," She prised Firenze's letter from Draco's clenched fist and thrust it towards McGonagall "If you don't believe me, read for yourself, that was less than fifteen minutes ago." At this Harry strode forward, not meeting Hermione's eye, and peered over McGonagall's shoulder his face turning to a grim, greyish tint.

"For real?" Now he did meet Hermione's eye, shamefully, he looked sad, tired and as desperate as she was.

"What do you think?" She muttered glumly. "Snape had Dumbledore's plan though, at least, I think it was Dumbledore's plan- a plan- anyway, he said we should block all the Death Eater entrances, which we did-"

"The Room of Requirements went missing." Ron spoke for the first time, stepping forward.

"And the barrier in the Whomping Willow." McGonagall pieced together the picture. "That was you two?"

"Yes," Hermione confessed, "But the problem is, we now have no exit. That's ok though because, if, just if, we pull this off, we can draw the Death Eaters in, have the Order attack from the back, the element of surprise," Her voice grew with excitement, "And once they're surrounded Harry can…" She faltered, "Snape said, he told me, that you could use Hogwarts' power to help you defeat the Dark Lord, for good." There was a pressing silence, Harry looked so broken. Draco looked sick and Hermione knew exactly what he was thinking. She took a tentative step toward Harry, "Do you know...? I mean, you must have some- no, it's ok, we have time- you can do this Harry." Mione gently took his hands in her own and searched his face,

"How do you know?" He asked weakly, as Ron took a step closer and Draco slowly backed away.

"Because you're you." It was the only comfort she could offer, it was half a question really, she was as desolate as he was right now, only she knew how fast the fire was moving. Harry broke away and turned his back on them, staring blankly up the hall.

"Hagrid alert the order to our plan." McGonagall took the opportunity to cut in with a commanding voice, "Teachers to your houses and alert the students, there is a meeting here in fifteen minutes sharp. Mr Weasley to the hospital wing, Miss Granger to the kitchens please and Mr Malfoy get Mr Filch, everyone needs to be sure of what is happening."

"No need to get Filch." Draco whispered, "He was killed not so long ago." McGonagall looked white, Hermione imagined she was worrying where the killer was.

"Fine, then wait here with Mr Potter."

Without a second's hesitation everyone swiftly exited the room, going to their various orders. Draco and Harry remained in uncomfortable silence, tension crackling between them in the echo-y, lifeless hall.

"What else did Snape say?" Harry finally asked, darkly. Draco's eyes pricked involuntarily,

"I-er- don't actually know, I wasn't there in the end, it was Hermione who found him."

"Right." Harry was ready to let the atmosphere drop back into a tense silence, but Draco had another, very pressing, question.

"Didn't you have a plan?"

"What?" Draco began to pace as he replied,

"I mean, you were Dumbledore's golden boy, he was always planning, preparing you for the inevitable fight, wasn't he? Didn't he give you a plan? Tell you what to do if…?" Draco trailed off and Harry turned around, his eyes blazing.

"Does that make you happy? Malfoy, does it? I've got nothing, he didn't warn me, he didn't give me a clue. He's left me so alone." Harry's voice rose in despair and he stared at the ceiling, as if hoping the false stars would transmit his message to Dumbledore. "Did you even have a plan? Because you never told me. What fucking good did you ever do me? You're useless. You're nothing!" The echoes reverberated around the hall and then fell still. Draco looked at the floor, there was nothing he could say to help- it was a weird feeling to even want to help Harry- he backed slowly from the room, leaving him to his thoughts.

In the entrance hall Draco looked outside to the thick, fast-approaching wall of smog, ready to kill them. Fear sharper than bile rose within him, making his head swim. _I'm not dying here, _he thought, terrified, _I promised Hermione I'd protect her, but what if I can't? What if I die trying? I'm not getting trapped here. _He thought of the grave he'd already had to dig. In the distant parts of the castle the rumble of the footsteps of children on mass began, everyone was assembling, he had to suck up his fear and become a part of that assembly, see if they'd get any kind of plan together.

-*-

Hermione bundled the last two sobbing first years into the hall and edged over to Ron, who was stood by the doors to make sure people didn't panic and run. It was a pretty pathetic picture, everyone bunched in together, petrified of what was going to happen. The room was quivering with defeat and they hadn't even begun. Ron nodded grudgingly as she stood next to him,

"Oh Ron, don't start, please-"

"Hermione look." He held up a hand to silence her and looked at her honestly, "I'm not happy and things are not ok between us, but we have a bigger problem to deal with first. We'll talk, or argue, about this if we make it through tonight." Hermione nodded, that was fair.

"Where have all the teachers gone?" She hissed, not wanted to raised alarm with the younger students. She watched Harry at the front of the hall shuffling around, apparently trying to get close enough to Dumbledore's lectern to stand there, _is he speaking? _

"Harry's in charge." Ron mumbled, "While you were fetching the last of the first years McGonagall appointed Harry in charge, all they teachers have gone to beef up the force of the Order, to make sure that 'attack from the back' thing really works; it's all we've got going for us." He sounded tired. Hermione looked to the front of the hall where all her other friends were, if they were even still her friends after all this. Ginny was close by to Harry, Luna was there too. Her eyes refocused elsewhere, looking for Draco.

Hermione scanned the hall several times thoroughly, but from the sinking feeling in her heart she knew he wasn't there, and no matter how many more times she looked closely she wouldn't find him. What if he'd bailed on her? Where did he have left to go? Her heart started to thud in rising panic, she had to find him, he had to be here, the Death Eaters couldn't have snatched him already, could they?

"I'll be back." She whispered, so lightly, to Ron that she was sure he didn't hear. But she didn't care.

The entrance hall was even more silent than it had been over the last few days, poised, ready for battle, more ready than Hermione. She spun around, casting her eyes about, at a loss as to where to start looking, especially if the Death Eaters had taken him.

"Mione." The hissed word was a huge relief, she turned to the doors, the direction it came from and saw Draco. She walked forwards.

"Why aren't you in there? What are you doing?" Draco's face looked pained as she drew close enough to see.

"Hermione, I said I'd keep you safe no matter what, well, keep us safe. Right?" He was edging back through the door, Hermione followed, watching his face the whole time, uncertainly,

"Yeah- yes, Draco, I remember you said that but-"

"Do you trust me?" The question was blunt, it hung in the air. Hermione's eyes left his face for just a second; the horizon was completely blotted out by the deadly clouds of smoke, the flames has risen to canopy level now, licking at the skyline, moving even faster. Hermione could hear the crackle and roar already, just audible in the distant, a lurking threat, it was more than a little scary.

"With my life." She whispered, embarrassedly, her voice hoarse.

Everything happened in an instant. A cheer rose up from the hall behind them, from which the couple were entirely removed, in their own little world. At the same time, Draco grabbed her by the wrist and tugged her through the main doors. She followed him, now able to pace herself to keep up with his graceful stride, as they ran across the lawn, heading for the right hand side of the castle.

"Where are we going?" She yelled to his back, careering down the slope and hitting a small gravel path, until now, unknown to her. Her feet crunched in time with Draco's, waiting patiently for an answer. Eventually he skidded to a halt and turned to face her. Hermione nearly crashed into him and Draco caught her by the shoulders,

"Hermione, we're getting out of here. We're going to run."


	12. Run!

**Author's Note: **_So this is actually finally IT! It's finished :D :D :D :D Here's the final instalment...when hopefully all the questions are answered and all the ends tied up. I was pretty emotional when i wrote this and i'm so glad it's finally done. For those who've been asking about the end i've been dying to tell you!! So now i can...:) **Please Review **that would make my day especially as it's the end. God, can you believe it? I wont keep you any longer...get reading :) Love Always! xx_

_***_

"Draco stop!" Hermione yelled, out of breath. She'd followed him willingly with no more questions, as they ran right down to the distant, barely-used part of the school, where the Dark Forest was at it's thinnest, just barely one line of trees between the grass and the boundary. There were no Death Eaters here as far as she could see and the fire hadn't reached this far yet. Draco stopped and turned to her,

"Just through the trees Mione, that's where I went when you were collecting the students. There's a small gap in the defenses, we can close it up when we're done."

"Draco stop it," Hermione took a step forward and laid a hand on his arm. "Why are we running? I don't understand." Draco looked disbelieving, he actually laughed before his eyes turned deep and serious; they looked right into Hermione's soft, brown ones and for the life of her she couldn't look away.

"Hermione I promised I'd keep you safe. And I'm not going to pretend to be selfless, I'm terrified, I'd really like me to be safe too, if at all possible." She noted the wobble of fear and remembered Snape's words, _he's a marked man. _Well Draco was certainly feeling that mark burn, metaphorically speaking. "We have done so much, we've fought really hard, we've given them all the help we can but-" His eyes searched hers for any comprehension, "It's time for us to get out now. We'll get right out of here, on foot to begin with, then we'll get a train or a bus to your house, collect your things, and then we've really got to get away and lie low somewhere for a while, till this is done."

"I don't-"

"It wouldn't be so bad, would it? We'd look after each other and keep each other company and…well it wouldn't be forever, but it's a lot better than dying." He looked embarrassed, even in the dark.

"Draco, I still don't see, what are you trying to say?" Hermione was frustrated, and worried and so tired her brain just wasn't working.

"Hermione I've seen the Death Eaters, I know what they can do and I don't see how it's possible to win. It was a good try but everyone there is going to die. They're going to lose." His words sliced Mione like a sword,

"But…but, no, no way, no!" She yelled at him, looking around for someone else to shout at, somewhere to run to, but he held her fast, gripping her arms,

"Mione, I'm sorry."

"But then…but we have to get everyone else out, this way, now."

"There's too many of them, we wont evacuate in time." At this thought more tears began to flow down Hermione's face, she was too tired and broken for full on sobs, but quiet and unstoppable droplets fell delicately.

"Someone, just get some people, we must be able to get some out." She pleaded. Draco looked helplessly around,

"How would you choose Mione? How could you possibly decide who gets a chance at living and who doesn't? I know I couldn't live with myself; that really would tear my soul."

There was a deadly silence. Draco began to pace, eager for them to be off, Hermione just let herself be numb.

"Hermione, please, it's time to go." He saw her about to protest again, "I'm not walking back into that death trap." Still she shook her head, unable to accept what he told her. She'd lived through so much, it couldn't be the end for them now, could it? "Hermione is that such a bad thing? To live, and come away with me?" He faltered, "Don't you want to be with me?" Hermione's eyes snapped to his, several things becoming clear at once.

"Yes," She nodded, "Ok, let's go." And it broke her heart to say it. Draco turned, relieved, and lead her through the trees. Hermione followed in a daze, feeling dead to the world as she stumbled through roots and listened to her feet make crunching noises on the dry earth- no wonder the forest had caught fire so fast. Behind the trees was a meter of clear space and then the light, shimmering boundary that looked strong enough, in magic terms, to hold back a barrage of oncoming spells. But at the bottom was a small tear, Draco had weakened it, and it was just enough for them to climb through.

Draco got down on all fours and wriggled through the gap, as he stood the other side he turned and beckoned for Hermione, his eyes wide and caring, yearning for her to follow, so he could try and keep her safe. Hermione turned to look back through the narrow gap at the castle she had called home for so long, in the distance she saw the first flash and shuddered- who had that spell hit? Who had cast it? Who would make them pay for it? She shook her head slowly, and then, barely a whisper,

"I'm sorry. People can be so stubborn when it comes to duty." Draco took a step closer on the other side of the barrier,

"Sorry I didn't- what?" He asked. This time Hermione spoke firmly.

"I belong at Hogwarts." She told him decisively, and turned and began to run. Stumbling on the first tree root and then finding her footing more easily.

"No!" Draco yelled after her, "Hermione please! You can't die, why are you doing this?"

"I've got a job to do!" She called back into the breeze, hoping it would reach Draco and that wherever he ran to now he would understand. She knew he had to go, and although it burnt like hell, she understood why. He couldn't stay because he would surely die, and because he didn't love Hogwarts like she did. But she had a place here, her heart was here, mostly, and she knew that as long as there was Harry, and hope, then there was a chance that they might not all die. They might not win, but they _definitely _wouldn't win without Harry, and Harry wouldn't stand a chance without her and Ron.

To her, it made sense, as she pelted across the lawn, straining towards her destination. Everything made sense. Duty, honor, hope, love, it was all starting to fit.

-*-

Reaching level with the castle walls, the fire now raging with 4 and 5 metre high walls of death, Hermione knew better than to attempt going through the main doors; there would be a fight on. She picked the window her and Draco had sat and eaten underneath, it seemed like a million years away as she hauled her body over the threshold and squirmed into the building. But she felt somehow _right_ as her feet collided with solid stone floor once more, she was home. There was a irritable, buzzing sort of noise about the castle, just from the terrified masses within. Hermione noticed, with annoyance, that they hadn't thought to protect this window, how many others had they forgotten? She quickly threw a defensive spell across the gap, hoping it would at least stall the Death Eaters, although, from what Draco had said- _oh god, Draco. _

Her feet hammered along the corridor, towards the unnerving buzz which grew louder and thicker the closer she got. As she turned down the hallway which ran towards the entrance hall she felt a wave of heat. Not only were people sweating with fear of what might come, but the building was getting roasted from the outside. Hermione saw a strategic layout of students, set up like a battle formation, all across the entrance hall and into the great hall, and, from what she could see, up the stairs. She stopped, surveying the scene with an odd feeling inside her- it was very surreal, but at least the fight hadn't reached the castle yet.

Hermione scanned the room, breathing heavy, her eyes seeking her closest friend, as always. She saw Harry's tense body right by the doors, braced for a fight, shaking a little- but she knew he was ready too, because she felt it too, the adrenaline that pulsed through her system when she got into the swing of a real battle.

"Harry!" She pushed through the orderly ranks and sprinted towards him, wand at the ready. "I'm sorry I…" She faltered,

"Where were you?" He sounded cross but distracted. She gulped,

"I went to run away." She rushed, getting the worst out, "I thought I was going to but Harry- I couldn't." He looked darkly at her for a moment, then his eyes softened a little,

"Malfoy?"

"He's gone Harry." She replied with difficulty, swallowing a hard lump in her throat, adding, "I don't blame him." He shrugged in reply. "So what's happening?"

"We're waiting, we've got huge defensive groups around the common rooms and Dumbledore's office and then some by the hospital wing."

"You should have some on the windows downstairs." She pointed out bluntly. Harry faltered, then saw sense, there was no time to argue now. He pointed at 10 students barricading the staircase,

"Get along to the windows, sharp. You guys over there," He skillfully assessed his numbers and gestured to five or six replacements, "Fill in. Now!" Hermione watched, feeling numb again as he continued his explanation, "Ron took an older group out front, they're already fighting, buying us some time,"

"Ron?!" Hermione nearly yelled. Fire blasted through her stomach and left her so icy. Harry however, remained calm and collected, it was as if he'd put his faith in Dumbledore, God-like, and trusted him and Hogwarts to get them out of this, someway somehow. Hermione tried to slow her breathing, find that faith, but everything was wrong. She wouldn't be who she was today without Ron, and neither would Harry.

"It's ok." Harry whispered, even though it wasn't. "It was his idea, he chose it." This almost made it worse, but she had no strength to argue.

"Where do you need me?" Her voice cracked with the effort of everything she'd done already that week. Harry didn't look at her, his eyes were fixedly on the horizon but it didn't make it any less intense when he replied softly,

"Right by my side, don't you dare leave me."

Serenaded by yelling and screaming and crashing, inhaling toxic smelling forest-fumes, they join hands in the broken atmosphere. And they clung to each other's fingers like they were drowning; because in a way they were.

The cries from outside grew closer, accompanied my malicious laughter and they tried to block it out. Hermione looked across to the nearest window, the one that merely hours ago she'd vaulted through to try and get to Firenze, and ended up crying on the floor with Draco; she saw some flames beginning to lick closer to the building, smoke was already creeping through. _What if they die out there in the fire? _She thought, with difficultly, burning or choking had to be some of the worst ways to go. But then maybe the Death Eaters would burn too- not that that made their sacrifice any more worth while, there was not a single student in this castle who she'd happily right off as collateral, not even the Slytherins.

"It's coming, get ready." Harry called back across the hall. Hermione heard it echoed back by people passing the messaging on, up the stairs, along the corridors, to people miles away from the battle quietly awaiting the news of the unknown danger they couldn't see. Her breathing quickened, the first set of footsteps could be heard coming up the steps, _god please don't let this be it! _Her thoughts raced in desperation _There's so much stuff I need to do…_ Her heart raced and squirmed, and rattled in its pathetic cage, not a single bit of her body was still. There was a push on the door. _Odd, a Death Eater would just blast that open._ And without thinking she yelled,

"Hold your fire! It's not a Death Eater." Harry looked shocked that the words had come out of her mouth not his, he met her eyes and nodded- he sensed it too- this wasn't a threat. Still the entire room tensed as the door opened a fraction just enough to show a human silhouette. Mione gasped.

"Don't shoot!" The voice was panicked, body raising its arms in surrender, its wand in clear view and it was less than 10metres from her. She stumbled forward a pace, oddly, dropping Harry's needy grip. "Hermione," The voice was almost despairing, but so, so soft.

"What are you doing?" She didn't even care that half the school was witnessing this precious moment of disbelief. She could have sworn she was dreaming. Apparently neither did Draco.

"I'm sorry. I was wrong to try and run. If we're in this we're in this for good, no halves. And um-"

"But if they find you!" Her throat was tight, her voice squeaky.

"I know, but it's a risk. You're right, we do belong here. And-" He was desperately trying to say something but Hermione barely noticed, she wouldn't give him the chance.

"Draco you have to get out, this is suicide and-"

"I've got a job to do." He cut across her with a beautiful look in his eyes, "And I love you." Around them was silence, but Hermione's ears were ringing.

She ran forward, a whole new energy surging through her, for the tiny gap that was between them and she flung her arms around her neck, kissing his lips with everything she had left. Trying to communicate those three simple words straight back. It felt like the war had fallen away, like the pain was worth while, like the week had been leading to this. And when they finally, some million years later it felt like, tore their lips apart she knew it was just what she'd be longing to do, for the longest time. And nothing else from that moment would ever matter.

***

**_So at this point i'd ask you, even if you've never reviewed before, to tell me what you think of the end. And would you like maybe a short chapter so we find out what happens after this is all over? Or shall i keep it at this 'perfect' end point :) xxx Thanks a Million xxx_**


	13. The End

Quietly Hermione and Draco crawled out of the Whomping Willow, the barriers were down now there was no need for them. The war was gone. They'd won- but only just and there were heavy casualties on their side too.

"We've got some cleaning up to do." She commented, standing shoulder to shoulder with her lover.

"Yeah, in a minute. I don't want to think about that now," She looked up at him, "Let's just take a minute here- we survived." She sighed and breathed in deeply the smell of freshly churned up earth. The scars from the battle would take a long time to leave the Hogwarts grounds.

"Ok I've taken a minute." She smiled at Draco and flung her arms round her neck. "I love you- I still can't get over that." He laughed with her,

"Yeah, that'll take more than a minute, I think." He bent and kissed her, "But we did what we promised we'd do, we don't owe anyone anything now, the rest is for us." She nodded thoughtfully.

The pair separated a little and began to walk side-by-side towards the carnage that was the aftermath of the battle. The next bit, the clean up and the burying of dead bodies, the treating the wounded; it wasn't going to be any fun at all. But they'd be done soon enough, and then they'd walk away with their souls intact and have a life. It was going to be great.

THE END!

Please check out my profile for more Hermione/Draco related fanfics, also Hermione/Draco/Harry love triangles, Draco/Ginny and many more!


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